One Tree Hill: Brathan vs Brucas Tale
by breezybrestories
Summary: Brooke Davis is back in Tree Hill after leaving six years ago. She is now sixteen and a sophomore in high school. Brooke quickly becomes Miss Popular after become cheer captain and befriending the stars of the basketball team, the Scott brothers. She brings the brothers together after years of estrangement but what will happens when they both fall in love with her?
1. Chapter 1

"I hate the smell of this god awful airport in this god awful town." Victoria Davis pinched the tips of her nose together to prevent herself from smelling anymore of the coffee and smoke filling the airport.

Brooke laughed at her mother's reaction, "I kind of like it! It reminds me that I'm home."

Brooke Davis was sixteen and now a sophomore in high school. Brooke Davis was born and raised in Tree Hill but moved away with her parents when she was ten years old so the family could further their wealth in California, the state of sunshine.

"Of course you do. You love this god awful town." Victoria rolled her chocolate brown eyes and quickly exited the tiny airport, her black designer pumps not slowing her down. The older woman was dressed in head to toe designer. The black shiny Louis Vuitton purse resting on her wrist swung with every step she took.

Brooke sighed heavily and walked out of the airport behind her mother; her green wedges making it easy to catch up to her mother. Once outside she pulled her designer shades, Dolce and Gabbana, over her eyes to shield them from the burning sun. Brooke remained silent on the ride to their home as she took in all of the familiar sights the town of Tree Hill had to offer.

"It all looks so different." Brooke thought aloud as she climbed out of the sleek black Lexus that carried her and her mother back to the home Brooke grew up in. The large white house with a red doors surrounding the house still looked the way she remembered.

"At least there is one good thing in Tree Hill." Victoria said as she took in the sight of their home.

Brooke rolled her eyes and looked over at her mom, "Can you be any more depressing?" She walked inside of the furnished home. That was a huge perk with being wealthy; you could hire anyone to do anything for you.

Brooke didn't have much unpacking to do since her mother already hired housekeepers and maids to do it all for her. So She got into her car that was shipped from California; a light blue BMW. She drove around the town of Tree Hill and only stopped when she arrived at a very familiar home. Brooke pulled in front of a large brown brick house. It was the house of her childhood friend, Peyton Sawyer. Brooke did a lot of growing up in that house with Peyton.

The front door to the house opened soon after Brooke pulled up and out of the front door came Peyton Sawyer. Peyton's blonde curls were covering her eyes as she looked down at the large black phone in her hand. Brooke climbed out of her car and walked around the luxurious car. Peyton looked up from her cellphone and saw a familiar looking teenage girl standing at the end of her driveway.

The two girls stood at each other before Peyton finally realized who the strange girl standing in front of her was,"Brooke Davis?" Peyton gasped as her green eyes widened.

"P. Sawyer!" Brooke squealed with happiness as her friend recognized her.

The two teen girls embraced in a tight hug. Peyton and Brooke stayed in touch only for a few months after Brooke left Tree Hill. Brooke's number changed and Peyton gave up trying to reach her.

"What are you doing here?" Peyton pulled away from the prolonged embrace.

Brooke gave her shoulders a gentle shrug, "I'm back! My mom and I moved back after the divorce. Something about never being able to stand California ever again!"

Peyton frowned, "I'm so sorry to hear about your parent's splitting up!"

Brooke shrugged again, "We all saw it coming! We used to hide out in my closet whenever we heard them arguing."

"We'd also sneak out and come back here and sit up all night eating ice cream!" Peyton laughed at the memory.

"It feels like so long ago!" Brooke let a heavy sigh escape her pink glossy lips. "I've missed Tree Hill and I've missed you!"

Someone sounded off their horn behind the two girls. Brooke turned around and saw a big black Ford truck sitting in the middle of the street. The windows to the truck slowly started to roll down. The driver of the truck was none other than Nathan Scott, the star of the basketball team and Peyton's boyfriend.

"Peyton! Get in I don't have all day." Nathan pressed roughly on the horn again. "Who is this?" He nodded toward Brooke.

Brooke crossed her arms across her chest and she turned back to Peyton, "Who is this douche-bag honking his horn?" She said loudly, making sure the jerk in the truck could hear her.

Peyton laughed at how hostile the two towards one another, "Nathan Scott! He is my boyfriend."

Brooke's eyes almost popped out of her head. "You're dating Nathan Scott? Ew, since when?"

Both girls laughed together as they turned their attention back to an impatient Nathan. He reached his hand up to honk his horn but Brooke stopped him.

"If you honk that horn one more time I'm gonna take it and stick it up your ass!" Brooke walked around the truck and leaned into the driver's side window. "It's nice to see you again, Nate. I see you're still a jerk!"

Brooke and Nathan also grew up together. The pair always managed to get into arguments about the smallest things. Their parents always insisting it was because the two secretly liked one another. When the pair stopped arguing they became great friends.

Nathan immediately recognized the hoarse voice coming from the young girl standing before him. "Brooke Davis?"

Brooke placed her hands on her hips, "None other than!"

Nathan climbed out of his truck and hugged Brooke. "You're back in Tree Hill?"

She nodded slowly, "Indeed I am but now that I'm back you're gonna have to stop being such a douche-bag to my friend Peyton." She nodded back towards a shocked Peyton. "Or I'm gonna have to cut your balls off while you're sleeping and wear them as a chain around my pretty little neck." Brooke patted Nathan on the shoulder and got into her car. She honked her horn loudly at Nathan and smiled. "See you later!"

Peyton and Nathan both watched Brooke drive off. The couple stood frozen in the middle of the street, shocked at what they just heard come from Brooke's mouth. Peyton and Nathan both grew up with Brooke but neither never knew Brooke to be so tough. The Brooke they knew was daring and fun but always too insecure to be tough and confrontational.

[**First Day of School**]

"Who is that? Is that Brooke Davis? I heard she was back now." All of this whispers sounded off throughout the hallway of Tree Hill High as Brooke Davis made her entrance into the hallways of Tree Hill High.

Brooke wanted to be the new popular girl at Tree Hill High and she already accomplished that goal the moment she step foot into the hallways. She cruised the hallways for her locker and found that it was the locker next to her best friend, Peyton.

"Hey P. Sawyer!" Brooke greeted her friend with a wide smile. She opened the locker with ease after she read the combination a few times.

Peyton was organizing her books when Brooke approached her. "Hey Brooke! You look great!" She closed her locker and leaned against it.

A flowy green strapless summer dress was fitted perfectly to Brooke's body. She topped off the outfit with thick gold hoop earrings and brown floral wedges.

"Oh thanks!" Brooke slid a couple of floral printed binders into her bare locker, "I have got to dress up this boring locker!"

Peyton laughed, "You haven't even been here for an hour and you're already dressing up your locker!"

Brooke shook her head and closed her locker, "You gotta be proactive Sawyer." She linked arms with her friend, "Now I'm counting on you to show me to all of my classes."

Peyton took Brooke's schedule from her petite fingers and read it, "Oh we have four out of six classes together!"

"Oh well then this should be easy." Brooke walked confidently down the hall with her best friend Peyton on her arm. Her confidence caught the eye of every boy, girl, and teacher she walked past. Some remembered Brooke Davis from when she was a little girl. Others wanted to know her and then there were some who just wanted to be her.

[**Lunch Time**]

"Ugh is the day almost over yet?" Peyton sat down across from Brooke at a wooden lunch table.

The two girls were sitting outside in the courtyard for lunch. Brooke suggested sitting outside so she could take a break from everyone staring at her and the whispers about her.

"I'm having fun!" Brooke said sarcastically before popping a baby carrot into her mouth and chomping down.

Peyton laughed, "Well of course you are!"

Brooke tilted her head to the side. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean you're loving the attention you're getting from everyone!" Peyton said with a smirk.

Brooke sighed heavily, "Well I was loving it but now I feel like I should be old news so people should just start looking away."

Peyton laughed and shook her head. "You're a well-dressed, gorgeous, cheerleading type! You're not gonna be old news anytime soon."

Nathan spilled out of the double doors of the gyms with his friends following loudly behind him. Brooke watched Nathan as he made his way toward the cafeteria. He nodded once at Peyton and Brooke but continued to walk past the girls' table without saying a word to them.

"Well that was rude!" Brooke nodded toward Nathan.

Peyton gave her shoulders a rough shrug, " I've grown used to it."

"Peyton it's sad to see how you've grown accustomed to douche-bag behavior!" Brooke got up from the table and raced over to Nathan's table. Peyton watched her friend in horror.

The guys sitting around Nathan at the table began to whistle at Brooke as she walked toward them. She rolled her brown eyes and nodded towards Nathan, "Mind if I have a word with you?"

Nathan smirked at the pretty brunette girl standing in front of him, "About?"

"I thought I told you to stop being such an ass to my friend Peyton?" Brooke pursed her lips at the handsome basketball player.

Nathan laughed, "I don't remember you telling me that!" He was trying to look tough for his jock friends.

She leaned across the table towards Nathan and pulled him closer by his collar, "Next time you might to think twice about being a douche-bag to me or Peyton." She whispered into his ear, "Or you're balls will make a nice little necklace for me!"

Brooke blew him a kiss and strutted back to the table she was sharing with Peyton.

"Brooke what was that?" Peyton's green eyes were still wide with horror.

"Don't take his crap Peyton! I see right through the show he is putting on." Brooke calmly looked down at her well-manicured nails. "He is just trying to look tough for his little buddies. Next time call him out on!"

Peyton nodded slowly and looked over to her boyfriend. He seemed just as stunned as her. "You are really brave Brooke Davis!"

"I know!" Brooke smiled widely at her friend, "But it's not about being brave. It's about being treated right!" She looked over her shoulder at Nathan, "You made the right decision when it comes to looks but not when it comes to personality." Brooke turned her attention back to her friend, "Now we're going to walk past him and his little group of friends and we're going to not speak to him. Dish out what he gives to you!"

Peyton furrowed her brow at Brooke, "What is that going to solve?"

"It is going to make him go crazy for your attention!" Brooke smiled, "Just watch! After school you're gonna get a little visit from Nathan and he is going to be a lot more attentive and nice." She gathered up her things, "Let's go!"

"Brooke I'm not sure about this!" Peyton threw her heavy bag onto her shoulder.

Brooke sighed heavily and linked arms with her friend, "Do you want him or not?"

"I do!" Peyton sounded unsure.

Brooke looked over to her friend, "Oh. My. God!"

"What?" Peyton's frown deepened.

"You don't know if you like him anymore!" She nudged her friend in her side. "Why don't you just end it then Peyton?"

Peyton looked down at her dirty black and white Converse sneakers, "Because every time we break-up he does something sweet that pulls me right back in. I'm just waiting for the sweet Nathan to appear. I know he has it in him."

Brooke rolled her eyes, "Honey if you wait around too long you're gonna miss your chance with the right guy!"

Lucas Scott walked out of the cafeteria and found his little brother sitting at a table with half of the basketball team. Lucas was one of the stars of the basketball team but Nathan seemed to have reign over the group of players. He looked away from his brother and saw Peyton standing with a beautiful brunette. He began to blush for staring too long at Brooke so he walked off. Brooke caught Peyton staring Lucas down with nothing but lust deep in her eyes.

"Now I never see you look at Nate like that!" Brooke pulled her friend toward the cafeteria, "I think you know what you want to do but you're just afraid Nathan is going to suddenly change and become prince charming after you move on. I don't think Nathan is going to change anytime soon so stop waiting around for it to happen."

"I think you're right!" Peyton said softly as she watched Lucas walk towards the parking lot. "I'll catch up with you later."

Brooke smiled and nodded once, "Sure thing. I'll see you at cheer practice!" She walked away from her friend and toward her next class.

"Hey Brooke, wait up!" Nathan chased the petite teen down the hall.

She turned on her three inch heel and found Nathan Scott running towards her in the bare English hallway. "What is it?" She put her hands on her hips.

Nathan smiled and stopped running, "I just wanted to talk!"

Brooke laughed and shook her head, "Guys like you never just want to talk Nathan!"

"Guys like me?" He raised both eyebrows at her.

"Yes guys like you; jocks who walk around flaunting their ability to put a ball through a hoop!" Brooke motioned towards the varsity jacket Nathan had on, "Guys like you treat girls like crap because you assume we all like bad boys and that we just melt in our pants when you look in our direction." She looked him up and down, "News flash Nathan Scott! Not every girl wants to sleep with you." Brooke turned and left him standing in the hall alone.

Nathan watched Brooke strut down the hallway towards her class, something about her had him intrigued. He wanted to know more about her. Who was the real Brooke Davis?


	2. Chapter 2

"Brooke, how are you going to walk in and just demand the spot of cheer captain?" Peyton and Brooke were walking towards the gym where Peyton attended cheerleading practice three times a week after school.

"It's simple! I'm going to go in there and show them how amazing I am and they are just going to hand the title over to me." Brooke said with a confident smile.

Peyton's blond curls bounced around as she shook her head, "Well good luck on your mission impossible!" She laughed and opened the double doors leading to the gym.

Inside of the gym the cheerleading team was doing stretches on the sidelines of the court near the bleachers while the basketball team was spread across the entire gym stretching. Nathan immediately noticed Brooke's arrival into the gym and he raced over to the pretty brunette.

"Hey Brooke!" Nathan smiled but Brooke put her hands onto her hips and motioned her eyes towards Peyton. "Oh, hey Peyton."

Peyton laughed, "Screw you Nathan!"' She rolled her eyes at him and walked away to start her stretches.

Nathan and Brooke both watched Peyton walked away.

"Well you heard her, screw you Nathan." Brooke smiled at her friend finally having the guts to actually say it. Brooke strutted over to the cheerleading squad, "Hey I'm…"

The captain of the cheerleading team finished Brooke's sentence, "Brooke Davis! I've been watching you all day and I've wanted to ask you if you cheered! You just look like the cheerleading type, not offense or anything." The ditsy captain said with a bright smile. "I'm Bevin!"

Brooke smiled and dropped her gym bag at her feet, "It's nice to meet you Bevin. So I'm guessing you're the captain?" She looked around the silent group of girls. "I'd like to make a case as to why I should be the new cheer captain of the Tree Hill Ravens!"

Bevin's smile remained on her pink lips, "Well I'll let you have the title but only if you're good!" She crossed her arms over her chest, "How about we see a few flips from you."

"Oh that's nothing!" Brooke pulled her brown hair up into a tiny ponytail at the top of her head and took off the jacket to her track suit. "Excuse me boys!" She approached a group of the basketball team who were lying on the cold floor of the gym. With ease Brooke flipped throughout the gym, each time landing solidly on her two feet.

Nathan watched Brooke from the sidelines of the gym and he caught his brother watching Brooke as well. "She is way out of your league." He whispered to his big brother before walking off.

"Now tell me I'm cheer captain!" Brooke smiled as she approached the cheer squad again.

Bevin watched Brooke with serious eyes but squealed loudly at the girl, "That was so good! You can totally be cheer captain after that!"

Brooke clapped her two petite hands together at the good news, "You won't regret this decision anytime soon."

"I must admit I under-estimated you Brooke Davis!" Peyton said to her friend as they walked out to their cars.

"Brooke! Brooke, wait up!" Nathan came sprinting from the gym after his practice was over.

Peyton sighed, "Looks like Nathan found himself a new crush!" She nudged her friend in her side.

"Ew!" Brooke laughed and playfully pushed her friend, "Me and Nathan are never going to happen. He is your ex-boyfriend."

"Well if that is you asking for my permission to date him, I give you full permission to take a ride on that roller coaster." Peyton shook her pompoms at Brooke, "Have fun with that!" She nodded towards Nathan and walked away.

Brooke smiled widely and shook her head, "What is it Nathan?" She turned to the basketball player; her smile dissolved.

"I just wanted to say you looked great in there!" Nathan shrugged her shoulders.

"I already know how good I looked in there but thanks anyways." Brooke began to walk away from him.

Nathan gently grabbed her hand to stop her from walking away from him, "Why do you hate me so much?"

She looked down at their touching hands, "I thought we went over this in the hallway earlier? You're just one of those guys!"

"Well I think I deserve I chance to prove you wrong about me!" Nathan smiled, "Give me one night and if by the end of the night you still hate me then I won't bother you ever again."

Brooke tried to fight back to urge to smile, "Okay! You get one night, Friday night." She couldn't hold back her smile after seeing him smile wide. "Pick me up at eight and you have until the clock strikes twelve to impress me!"

"That's enough time for me!" Nathan dropped her hand.

She turned to leave but turned back to him, "Oh and Nate! Do not be expecting us to have sex because that is never going to happen." Brooke smirked and walked to her car.

[**Until the Clock Strikes Twelve**]

Brooke stood in her mirror and applied mascara to her short black lashes. She was looking forward to tonight despite her trying to not to be so excited. Something about Nathan gave Brooke butterflies every time he smiled at her. A knocked sounded on the door to Brooke's bedroom. She looked at her clock and saw that it was exactly eight o'clock.

She opened the door and on the other side stood Nathan. Nathan had on a navy blue button up with khaki pants and a hand full of roses. Brooke smiled at the sight of the beautiful red roses.

"These are for you." Nathan pushed the red roses into her petite arms. "I hope you don't mind that I didn't use the front door."

"I didn't know this was a date!" Brooke smiled and moved aside to let Nathan into her bedroom. "You look nice!" She sat the roses down on her tan make-up vanity.

Nathan smiled and he felt his cheek began to burn, "You look great too Brooke!"

"I know!" Brooke smiled and grabbed her bright teal clutch purse. The teenage girl was dressed in a black faux leather liquid leggings with a lacy black blouse and matching black booties. "You ready?"

Nathan looked around Brooke's neat cream colored room and nodded once, "I'm ready!"

"Don't expect a bedroom tour anytime soon buddy." Brooke pursed her lips and walked out of the door to her bedroom that led out to the side of her house.

"I can already tell you're not like any other girl I've met." Nathan followed behind Brooke. He jumped in front of her and opened the passenger side door to his big black truck. "After you."

Brooke smiled and climbed into the passenger seat, "Thank you!" She tried not to seem impressed by his gentleman behavior.

"You're welcome!" Nathan locked eyes with Brooke; he was trying to read her but got nothing from her stare. He walked around the car and climbed into the driver's seat. "First stop is dinner!"

"Oh I hope McDonalds isn't on the menu!" Brooke playfully teased Nathan with a nudge into his skinny but muscular arm.

Nathan pulled into a parking spot on the street of Downtown, Tree Hill. He raced around the truck and opened the door for Brooke. He offered the pretty brunette his hand but she ignored it and jumped right out of the truck on her own.

"Where are we going?" Brooke turned on her four inch heel to face Nathan.

Nathan nodded to a fancy restaurant across the street. Brooke's eyes widened as she took in the restaurant.

"Oh nice choice Mr. Scott!" She smiled as Nathan offered his arm to Brooke. She hesitated but took his muscular arm into her petite hands. Brooke pointed towards a clock on a street light, "You have three and a half hours to impress me."

"How am I doing so far?" Nathan led Brooke inside of the candle lite restaurant, "Good or bad?" He asked for a table outside near the lake.

"I'd say you're doing okay but you can't buy my affection Nathan!" Brooke picked a loose thread from her black blouse, "I can buy all of this stuff for myself. I want to know you!" She poked him in his chest, "Not what you can afford."

"Right this way Mr. Dan Scott!" The hostess led the couple out back to a table near the lake. He lite the candle sitting in the center of the table, "I hope you and your date enjoy your meal."

Nathan pulled out Brooke's seat for her before sitting down across the table from her.

"You used your father's name to get us a reservation?" Brooke rested her chin on her balled up fist.

Nathan laughed and nodded slowly, "I did! Don't judge me!"

She laughed and put her hands up, surrendering. "I'll tell you a little secret." She leaned forward onto the table, "I do the same thing!" Brooke peeled open her menu, "What is your favorite food?" She asked as she scanned through the menu.

Nathan looked up from his menu, "Spaghetti is my favorite! It beats anything else."

"Oh no way! Pizza beats spaghetti by a long shot." Brooke said with a laugh as her eyes continued to scan over her menu, "But since they don't have pizza I'll get the spaghetti."

He couldn't help but smile at the sight of Brooke's dimples getting deep every time laughed or smiled. "So what is your story Brooke Davis?"

Brooke closed her menu and rested her chin back on her fist, "I am bored and ignored."

Both of Nathan's eyebrows shot up on his forehead. "I get the bored thing but ignored? I don't think you've ever been ignored by a guy in your life."

She rolled her brown eyes and sat back in her chair, "I meant I'm ignored at home. Since the divorce my parents would rather throw money at me than actually have a full conversation with me."

A frown pulled Nathan's mouth down at the corners. "I know how you feel." He looked down at his hands.

"You're parents divorced?" Brooke searched Nathan's sad face for an explanation.

He shook his head, "No. Worse! They're together despite the obvious fact that they hate one another."

"Oh so they're using you as their reason to stay together?" Brooke couldn't take her eyes off of the handsome jock sitting across from her.

Nathan looked up from his hands and caught Brooke staring at him. Butterflies began to flutter through his stomach, "That about describes it."

"So that explains why you pretend to be a douche-bag at school. You do it for attention." Brooke reached across the table and grabbed Nathan's hand. "You don't have to be a bad ass to get attention! You're handsome, talented, and pretty nice when you want to be."

Nathan squinted as he took in Brooke's round face. _"How does she know him so well? She hasn't even been in town for very long and yet she understands him more than anyone else does."_ He thought to himself.

"Earth to Nathan." Brooke was waving her well-manicured hand in his face.

He snapped out of his own thoughts and grabbed Brooke's waving hand. "I was just thinking how weird it is that you get me more than anyone. You get me more than some of my own friends!"

Brooke smiled, "I'm just that good!" She felt shocks flying between the two of them at the site of their touch. Nathan kept hold of her petite hand.

"You're pretty special Brooke Davis." Nathan smiled and slowly let go of her hand. "I'm glad you're back!"

After eating dinner Nathan led Brooke back to the car. Across the street from the restaurant was an ice cream stand.

"Wanna have dessert?" Brooke pulled Nathan toward the tiny ice cream stand, "Now I remember asking you what your favorite ice cream was!" She pretended to have to think about the answer. "Rocky road is your favorite!"

Nathan laughed, "So you were paying attention?"

Brooke nodded once, "But where you paying attention? What is my favorite ice cream flavor?"

He turned away from Brooke and ordered two mint chocolate ice cream cups. "Now I know you don't think I was listening…" Nathan turned around and handed one of the cups of mint ice cream. "I really was listening! I even heard you say you don't like the actual ice cream cones!"

Brooke smiled and felt butterflies forming in the pit of her stomach. Something about him was making her crazy. "I have to say that was cute!" She kissed him on his cheek.

Nathan's cheek turned red underneath Brooke's soft tender kiss. "Thank you!" He tried to hide his blushing face by dunking his head down.

"Nathan Scott, are you blushing?" Brooke playfully nudged the basketball star in his side. "Yes you are!" She laughed and pulled his face up by his chin, "It's okay!"

"No it really isn't okay!" Nathan pulled his face back down and turned to walk to his car, throwing away his ice cream in a nearby trashcan.

Brooke frowned and ran after Nathan, "Nathan!" She called after him. "Where are you going?"

"Home!" He yelled to her over his shoulder as he continued to walk to his truck.

Brooke threw away her ice cream and continued to run after him, her four inch heels slowing her down. "But I have the keys!" She pulled the keys to his truck from her bag and dangled them in the air.

Nathan turned swiftly on his heels, "Give me the keys Brooke!"

She laughed and shook her head, "Not until you tell me why you just ruined a perfectly good moment back there." Brooke tilted her head to the side.

Nathan rolled his eyes and grabbed for the keys but Brooke dropped them back into her purse. "No you're not getting them until you explain it to me what the hell is wrong with you?" Brooke sat down on a nearby bench and patted the spot next to her.

He let out a deep and heavy sigh before taking a seat next to her on the ice cold bench, "This is just all too weird for me."

"What is?" Brooke crossed her legs and shifted her body so she was facing him.

"This!" Nathan motioned between the two of them.

"Us?" Brooke frowned in confusion, "Having fun? I know flirting isn't all too weird for you because you flirt with every girl with a pulse and sometimes the pulse is optional."

Nathan couldn't help but laugh at her joke. "I'm not used to having a connection with someone that goes behind physical."

"Oh!" She began to nod slowly, "Well then why didn't you just say that!"

He shrugged his shoulders, "It's weird."

Brooke laughed and took his arm into her cold hands and she rested her chin on his shoulder, "Well how about we take this slowly. We can start off as friends and see what happens."

Nathan looked down at her and smiled, "So I take it you didn't have a bad time tonight?"

She shook her head, "Well not until you totally ruined our little moment over there at the ice cream stand and then you made me throw away my ice cream!"

Nathan laughed and looked down at her holding his arm, "I can go buy you another one! We still have an hour and a half left."

Brooke looked up at the clock sitting on the corner. "No you've ruined my taste for ice cream for the night." She teased him playfully.

He rolled his brown eyes, "You're so dramatic!"

She let out an audible gasp as she pushed him, "I am not!"

Nathan laughed, "Relax! I was just only joking." He began to tickle her gently in her sides.

"Nathan Scott you let me go right now!" Brooke said between laughs as she tried to squirm out of his grip. She managed to get free from his grip as she fell onto the hard brick sidewalk.

"Oh my god! Brooke, are you okay?" Nathan jumped up from his sitting position on the bench. He rushed to her and kneeled down at her side.

Brooke looked up at his face and she couldn't help but laugh at the worried expression on his face. "I'm good!"

Nathan clutched his chest, "You scared me half to death!"

"Oops!" She continued to laugh. He moved closer to tickle her but Brooke shot up from the ground, "No!" Brooke pointed at him, "Nathan Scott, you are not tickling me again!"

"Says who?" Nathan raced to tickle her but Brooke took off running down the brick sidewalks of downtown. Nathan laughed as he watched her run. He let her get a head start before he ran after her.

Brooke looked back at him as she continued to run. She reached the end of the sidewalk and she raced down a path that led to the River Court. She took in the sight of the lights of downtown surrounding the court. Nathan caught up to her with ease but he stopped as well.

"It's beautiful right?" Nathan stood next to Brooke as the two of them took in the sight of the lights.

"It's gorgeous!" Brooke looked up at Nathan, "This is such a romantic moment, friend!" She laughed and pushed him.

Lucas Scott, Nathan's older half-brother, came onto the court dribbling his basketball. He had on a grey hoodie with the words, Keith's Body Shop written out on the back. Lucas looked up from his dribbling ball and saw his brother with the new girl. He stopped in his tracks and threw his hoodie off of his sandy blond hair.

"Oh hey!" Brooke moved out of Lucas' way. She couldn't help but notice how attractive he was, _"These Scott Brothers have great genes."_ She thought to herself.

Nathan watched his brother with angry eyes as Lucas stood still in front of Brooke. "Cat got your tongue?" He snapped in his brother's face. "Lucas?"

She recognized the name,"Oh you're the brother!" Brooke smiled and extended her petite hand towards a shocked Lucas. "I'm Brooke Davis!"

Lucas took her hand into his and held it there, "It's nice to meet you Brooke!" Lucas' friends began to file onto the court after Lucas.

"Agh Luke my man! You look ready to get your ass beat tonight!" Skillz Taylor greeted his friend with a pat on the back. He took in Brooke with wide eyes, "Now who is this?"

Brooke laughed and put her hands on her hips, "It's me, Brooke!" She knew Skillz from always being at the park playing basketball whenever she would sneak out and go there to get away from her parents.

Skillz's eyes only got wider, "Agh my girl Brooke! You look good." He said with a wide smile and a single nod. "What's up Nate?"He briefly acknowledged the tall boy standing at Brooke's side.

"Nothing Brooke and I were just about to leave." Nathan took Brooke's free hand since Lucas was still holding her other hand. "You ready?"

Brooke frowned up at Nathan but nodded, "It was nice meeting you all!" She waved to the boys and left the court with Nathan. "So what was that all about?" She asked Nathan.

"What do you mean?" He looked down at her.

"I mean the obvious tension between you and your brother." Brooke looked over her shoulder at the court that was beginning to fade into the background as they continued to walk back to Nathan's car.

"I don't really call him my brother." Nathan said quietly. "I barely even know the kid! We just so happen to have the same last name and father."

Brooke's eyebrows rose up on her forehead, "That is still going on?" Before Brooke left Tree Hill, Nathan and Lucas never spoke to one another despite them playing on the small little league basketball team.

Nathan nodded once, "He doesn't like and I don't like him."

Once they reached the car Brooke turned on her heel to face Nathan, "Why don't you like Lucas?" He shrugged once. Brooke shook her head, sending some of her curls flying around. "You don't even know why you don't like him! I say get over it and be brothers. Not all of us are lucky to have a sibling."

Nathan shut the passenger door after Brooke climbed into her seat. Her words echoed in her head, _"Get over it!"_ He looked back in the direction of the River Court but turned and got into the driver's seat.


	3. Chapter 3

"Knock, knock." Brooke waltzed into Peyton Sawyer's front door without actually knocking on the door.

Peyton's father, Larry, was standing in the living room as he called out to Brooke. "Brooke Davis!"

Brooke turned on her three inch heel and found Larry sitting on the couch reading his newspaper. "Larry Sawyer!" She hugged the older male. "It's been a while."

"A while? I haven't seen you since you were too young for make-up." Larry took in the teenage girl, "Peyton is upstairs in her room."

Brooke nodded and strutted out of the living room and up the stairs. "Hello, hello!" She walked into her friend's dark red bedroom and turned off the blasting rock music.

"I was listening to that!" Peyton looked up from her drawing pad.

"Well now you're not!" Brooke smiled and plopped herself down on her friend's bed. "Oh …"

"I take it you had fun with Nathan the other night?" Peyton got up from her black computer chair and sat down on her bed next to her best friend.

Brooke rolled over onto her stomach, "You knew about that?"

Peyton nodded slowly, "I saw you two running down the street like maniacs!"

Brooke busted out into a fit of laughter. Peyton squinted down at her.

"Oh Peyton it was so much fun!" Brooke laughed again at the memory of her night with Nathan Scott. "You aren't mad that I went out with Nathan right?"

"Oh god no Brooke!" Peyton hit her friend with one of her pillows, "I already told you I'm fine with it. I'm totally over that disaster."

"Oh that's right! You are in love with Lucas Scott now!" Brooke nudged her friend in her side.

Peyton laughed as her cheeks began to burn and turn red. "I'm not in love with him!"

"But you're so blushing at the sound of his name!" Brooke sat up in the bed, "I met him last night and he is a total cutie!"

Peyton kept her green eyes down on her petite hands, "Yeah he is but Lucas isn't interested in me anymore."

"Anymore?" Brooke raised an eyebrow to her friend.

"Yeah. While I was dating Nathan, Lucas and I started this fling." Peyton cleared her throat, trying to get rid of the lump forming in the middle of her throat. "It was just flirting and the occasional kiss but then he asked me to dump Nathan to be with him…"

"And you said no." Brooke finished Peyton's sentence.

"I said no and I told him that I didn't want to be with him." Peyton peered over at Brooke, "And the other day at school when I ran after him in the parking lot I declared my feelings for but he said he wasn't the guy for me."

"Ouch." Brooke pulled Peyton into her arms, "Well he is missing out on an amazing and talented girlfriend or hookup."

"Brooke!" Peyton squealed and pulled away from her friend's hold.

"What?" Brooke said with a smirk. "I know you want to just jump his bones? Hell I even want to!"

Peyton laughed and gave her head a shake. "He is pretty hot!"

[**Back to School**]

"Hey Brooke!" Nathan searched the hallways for the girl's locker and finally found it and her.

Brooke pulled her attention away from putting up pictures in her locker. "Hey Nathan!" She leaned forward and kissed the jock's pink cheek.

"Hey! So what are you doing after school today?" Nathan leaned against the locker beside Brooke's.

"I have practice with the girls just like you have practice with the guys." Brooke put up the last picture and shut her locker. "Why do you ask?"

Nathan gave his shoulders a rough shrug. "Just thought maybe you'd like to hang out at my dad's beach house."

"It's a Monday night!" Brooke started walking towards her first class and Nathan followed.

"Well it's not a party." Nathan swallowed hard as he got a whiff of the girl's sweet perfume when she swung her backpack over her body.

"Okay fine, we can hang out after practice. See you later handsome!" Brooke kissed his cheek before disappearing into her history classroom.

Nathan stood near the door of the classroom smiling. "Get to class Scott!" Nathan's basketball coach, Whitey Durham, yelled at the jock.

"You sure know how to ruin a moment Whitey!" Nathan turned and disappeared behind the door across the hall.

"Teenage hormones!" Whitey said to himself as he made his way down the hall and to his office "You get to class too Scott!"

Lucas had been watching his brother and Brooke talk about their plans for the night. He couldn't help but be jealous of his little brother getting the girl first. He sighed heavily and entered the same classroom as Brooke. The only seat left was the one next to Brooke in the back. Brooke had her eyes down on her notebook paper as she doodled.

"Have a seat Mr. Scott!" The teacher called out to the student standing in a daze near the door.

Brooke looked up from her doodling. She smiled at the other handsome Scott brother and followed his gaze to the empty desk next to her. She leaned over, "Lucas I promise not to bite!"

"What?" Lucas said with a nervous laugh.

Brooke laughed at his nerves, "I don't bite I promise those rumors are just rumors." She tried to joked with him.

"What?" Lucas couldn't manage to form a sentence in his shocked state.

She gave his arm a gentle squeeze, "You are just too cute!" She laughed and went back to doodling onto her paper.

Out of the corner of his eye Lucas watched Brooke doodle on her paper and he noticed she was drawing fashion sketches.

"I want this row…" The teacher stood in front of Brooke's row of desks, "I want this row to pair up with the person to your right."

Brooke looked over at Lucas and smiled, "Maybe now I'll get my chance to bite you."

Lucas managed to let out a shaky laugh, "Right."

"This exercise is a get to know you kind of exercise. I know you all hate those name games on the first week of school but this isn't the name game and this is week three of school so deal with it!" The teacher passed out a paper with a list of questions printed on the front.

"By the end of this exercise I want you to either love or hate your partner and to have a very good reason as to why you love or hate them." The teacher attempted to joke but no one seemed to get it. "I trust that none of you will skip if I allow you to do the exercise around the school."

The entire class shook their heads all at the same time.

"Good then go and bond!" The teacher said in a bored tone. "No skipping!"

Brooke gathered up her things and met Lucas by the door. "You ready partner?"

Lucas gave Brooke a silent nod and the pair went out into the hall. "So where do you want to do this?"

"Oh I get a full sentence out of you!" Brooke playfully teased him. "Um!" She looked around and found an empty classroom.

"I don't think we should be in there." Lucas stood in the hallway.

Brooke pulled him into the room, "Don't be so scary Lucas Scott!"

She turned the lights on and shut the door to the classroom. Lucas took a seat at the back of the classroom while Brooke sat atop of the teacher's desk.

Lucas watched Brooke climbed on top of the desk and he cleared his throat, "First question." He pulled out the paper with the questions. "What is your middle name?"

"Penelope!" Brooke said with a proud smile.

"Eugene." Lucas kept his eyes down on the paper.

"Eugene?" Brooke asked him. When he didn't answer she just nodded, "I actually like it!"

"Thank you." Lucas smiled but kept his eyes down, "If you could any animal what would you be and why?"

Brooke laughed at the question, "I'd be a cheetah or a leopard."

"Why?" Lucas asked, curious.

"They are so gorgeous and so graceful!" Brooke began to draw a leopard on the over-head monitor. "What would you be?"

"I'd be a raven." Lucas answered.

"Team spirit! Do they pay you to say that kind of stuff?" Brooke teased him but Lucas didn't laugh.

"I'd want to be a raven because they are an animal that signifies so much. They are divine." Lucas looked down at the paper.

"You would be perfect for Peyton." Brooke said under her breath.

"Excuse me?" Lucas caught the end of her sentence. "What about Peyton?"

Now it was Brooke's turn to blush. "Nothing! I was just saying how alike you two are." She looked down at her drawing.

"Two people who are alike aren't always meant to be together." Lucas was talking more and Brooke and Nathan than he was about himself and Peyton. "Guess your partner's dream job and allow for them to correct you."

Brooke smiled and eyed Lucas, "I'd say you'd love to be a professional basketball player." She jumped down from the wooden desk she had been sitting on. "But whenever I see you, you're always reading so I'd say an author or publisher."

Lucas was taken aback by the realization that Brooke actually noticed him outside of this moment, "You're right!"

Brooke playfully patted herself on the back, "I knew it!" She sat down on the desk Lucas was sitting in. "So what do I want to be?"

Brooke being so close to him sent butterflies fluttering through his stomach. "A fashion designer." He stuttered.

She squinted down at him, "There is no way you're that smart!"

Lucas laughed and looked down at his shaking hands, "I noticed that you draw a lot of clothes and sketches of models."

The partners locked eyes and both kept hold of one another's attention until Brooke noticed she wasn't breathing.

She took a deep breath, "Next question."

"Oh right." Lucas said breathlessly. "What is one thing no one knows about you."

Brooke racked her brain for a secret of hers. "No one knows that about my insecurities. All everyone ever sees is this confident, tough, fierce person but they never look long enough to see that this confident person doesn't feel good enough at anything." She looked down at her brown wedges.

"I don't see why you wouldn't feel good enough. You're beautiful, you're talented at everything, and you're smarter than you let on." Lucas looked over at a sad Brooke.

"You think I'm all of those things?" Brooke looked over at him and smiled.

Lucas nodded, "I do." He smiled at her. "No one knows that I write well except you."

"Oh no fair!" Brooke nudged him, "You gotta give me a new one since I figured that out myself."

He laughed, "Okay! No one knows that I wish me and my brother had a relationship that went past hating one another. People just assume I hate him as much as he hates me."

Brooke's petite hands flew up to her chest. "That is sad!" She pouted, "I happen to know that Nathan doesn't hate you Lucas. I think he is just brain washed to feel negative towards you. He wants a big brother as much as you want a little brother."

"Really?" Lucas frowned up at Brooke. "It doesn't seem that way when he steals my clothes when I'm in the shower or when he trips me when I walk by."

Brooke waved her hand casually, "Don't mind him when he acts like that! That is all peer pressure."

"So what makes you think he will stop giving in to peer pressure long enough to listen to me?" Lucas crossed his arms over his chest.

"Because you're his big brother," Brooke smiled down at Lucas and tugged at his shirt. "I have a plan! Meet me outside of the gym after practice?"

"Don't you have plans with Nathan tonight?" Lucas bit down on his bottom lip. Brooke raised an eyebrow to him. "No I promise I wasn't ease dropping on you and Nathan! I just over heard you two on my way to class."

She squinted at him and laughed, "Just trust me and meet me after practice today!"

The bell rang and Lucas and Brooke left the room together. Peyton, Nathan, and Haley were all out in the hallway and saw the partners leave the empty classroom together.

Peyton thought she would be jealous but she actually preferred Brooke with Lucas over Nathan because she knew Lucas was a great guy. Nathan felt a twinge of jealously hit him in the gut at the sight of his brother with Brooke. Haley was confused as to why her best friend would hang out with someone like Brooke Davis.

"Hey !" Brooke linked arms with her best friend. She followed Peyton's glance over to Lucas, "I had fun during that little exercise. I learned a lot."

"Oh so you two actually talked?" Peyton walked with her friend to their next class.

Brooke laughed, "Do I detect jealously because you weren't partnered up with Lucas Scott? I told you to sit next to me but you called me a distraction!"

Peyton laughed and pushed her friend into their next class. "I wish you and Lucas and you're future children all the best!"

[**After Cheer Practice**]

"There you are." Lucas found Brooke walking towards the double doors of the practice gym.

"Here I am!" Brooke put her hands on her hips, "Do you have a car or am I gonna have to drive?"

"I can drive but I don't have the car today." Lucas dug his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

"Well let's go!" Brooke led Lucas to her blue BMW waiting in the parking lot. She drove off towards Nathan's beach house.

"What are we doing here Brooke?" Lucas asked as he climbed out of the tiny BMW.

Brooke walked up to the front door and rang the door, "You said you wanted your little brother not to hate you!"

"And you think he will hate me any less if I interrupt his date with you to kiss and make-up?" Lucas asked in disbelief.

"This isn't a date and he'll understood once we explain everything to him." Brooke rang the doorbell again.

"I'm going home!" Lucas turned on his heel to start walking home but Nathan opened the front door to the beach house.

"What is he doing here?" Nathan snapped.

Brooke put her hands on Nathan's chest, "You two have a lot to talk about. Move aside Nathan and let us in!"

Nathan obeyed Brooke and moved aside to let her walk inside. He fought the urge to block his brother from getting into the house.

"What is this about?" Nathan turned to Brooke.

"I'm sick of this! You two don't even know why you aren't close anymore! Don't let peer pressure or bad habits ruin your chance to get to know one another and be brothers." Brooke crossed her arms over her chest.

"I don't think now is a good time…" Lucas started.

Nathan agreed, "We can make up on our own terms. It isn't your place to do this!"

Brooke rolled her eyes, "Now is the perfect time! Neither of you have any place to be." When both brothers did nothing but stare at her, Brooke snapped. "Fine then I'm going home. Sorry for trying to fix your petty family drama!"

She stormed out of the beach house and got into her car. Brooke sped out of Nathan's drive way but didn't get far because a truck rammed into the side of Brooke's tiny BMW and her car slammed into the side of a light pole.

"Brooke!" Nathan and Lucas screamed out as they watched Brooke's car get into an accident with a truck. The brothers dashed down the stairs and over to the car. Both Brooke and the driver of the truck were unconscious in their front seats.

"Go call 9-1-1!" Nathan screamed to his brother. Lucas dashed inside of the beach house and found a phone. "Somebody help us!" Nathan screamed at the top of his lungs as he tried to find a way to get Brooke out of the wrecked car.

"9-1-1 how may I help you?" The operator asked.

"My friend was just in a bad car accident and I think she's dead!" Lucas cried into the phone.


	4. Chapter 4

"Like I told you before when you asked, we were watching Brooke drive away from my front door! We had a stupid argument and she stormed off then was hit before she could even fully leave the drive way." Nathan recalled for the third time to the police officer.

The police officers were trying to distract the Scott brothers away from the scene of paramedics and fire fighters breaking Brooke and the other driver out of their crushed up cars.

"Can you at least tell me if she will be okay?" Lucas asked as peaked over the officer's broad shoulders and stared on at the tragic accident playing out in front of him and his brother.

The fire fighters managed to get the other driver freed but found it more difficult to free Brooke without harming her any more than she already was harmed.

"They won't know if she is even breathing until they get her out of the car, but I will be honest with you…" The paramedic speaking to Lucas turned when he heard glass breaking. He raced back to Brooke's damaged car and helped his co-workers remove the teenage girl's body from the crush car. "She's breathing but her pulse is weak!"

Both Nathan and Lucas sank to their knees at the news that Brooke was still alive. Lucas managed to pick himself up off from the hot asphalt. He walked over to his emotional little brother.

"You okay?" Lucas' voice cracked so he cleared his throat.

Nathan shook his head as tears began to cloud up his brown eyes. "She was only trying to help us and we were so rude to her! What if we never get the chance to apologize to her?"

"You gotta have faith that she will be okay little brother." Lucas held his hand out to Nathan.

Nathan stared at his brother's hand for several moments before taking it and allowing for Lucas to help him up off of the ground. Lucas gave Nathan a strong pat on the back once Nathan was standing on his two feet.

"She's going to be alright!" Nathan said with a nod of his head, "I know she will be."

Lucas smiled and pulled his brother into a tight hug. They had to support one another now that they had no one else there to turn to. Neither of them rode in the back of the ambulance. Instead they rode over to the hospital together in Nathan's truck.

"We're looking for Brooke Davis' room!" Lucas approached the waiting room receptionist' desk.

The woman sitting behind the desk checked her records. "Brooke Davis is currently in surgery. Feel free to wait out here but it might take a while. According to her chart she has some serious injuries to her body both inside and out."

The woman's word knocked the wind out of both brothers. Nathan slid down the side of the desk while Lucas turned and punched the air.

"I'm sorry!" The woman apologized to the visually upset boys breaking down in front of her desk.

Lucas kneeled down in front of Nathan after he managed to pull himself together. "We promised we'd believe she'd make it, remember?" He was trying to convince himself of this as much as his brother. "She is going to be fine."

"Who are we kidding Lucas?" Nathan sniffled back more of his tears, "She is lying on an operating table seconds away from slipping away from us forever and it's our fault!"

"You can't think like that!" Lucas said through grated teeth. He was fighting the urge to burst into tears in front of his little brother.

"Luke?" Peyton ran into the waiting room and found both brothers sitting on the floor of the ice cold waiting room.

Lucas stood up and took Peyton into his arms, "It's bad Peyton!"

"How bad?" Peyton pulled back from her hug with Lucas. "Is she at least going to be okay?"

His head drop between his shoulders as tears rushed down his hot cheeks. "They don't know if she will even live."

Peyton felt her knees give out underneath her but she managed to catch herself from falling to the cold floor of the waiting room.

"What the hell happened?" Peyton almost yelled at Lucas. "Last time I saw her she was with you happy and smiling!"

He flinched at the anger in Peyton's usually soft voice. "She took me to Nathan's beach house to have us make-up." Lucas let out a heavy sigh as he recalled the memory all over again, "'We didn't want to make-up right then and there so Brooke got frustrated and she left."

"You guys are such idiots you know that!" Peyton hit Lucas in his chest, "All of this because you two jerks couldn't push past your damn pride and make-up! Why the hell do you two hate each other for in the first place?"

Nathan stopped crying at the sound of Peyton's angry voice. He managed to pull himself into a standing position. "We know it's our faults Peyton."

"You're damn right it's your fault!" Peyton yelled at Nathan as she pushed the jock in his chest. "My best friend could be dead right now!"

"Okay that is enough!" The woman sitting behind the receptionist desk stopped Peyton's angry tirade. "It is not going to do anybody any good to point the finger. Just sit down and pray for your friend." The woman shot Peyton a look that made Peyton close her mouth.

Peyton turned on her sneaker's heel and found a seat in the almost empty waiting room. Lucas and Nathan both took seats away from Peyton. They waited for an hour before Brooke's doctor came out looking for Brooke's family and friends.

"I'm her sister!" Peyton spoke up. "How is she?"

"I'm sorry about your sister Miss Davis." The doctor cleared his throat, "Brooke is out of surgery now and she is doing much better. She has a broken wrist, ankle, and index finger. She had some internal bleeding but we managed to stop that before it got any worse."

"Can we see her?" Nathan asked urgently from behind a petite Peyton Sawyer.

The doctor nodded once, "You are welcome to see her. She is awake now and she asked for a Peyton Sawyer." The doctor checked his notes to make sure he got the name right.

"That's me!" Peyton rose her hand into the air. "I'm Peyton Sawyer."

The doctor squinted at Peyton but figured she was telling the truth. "Okay well follow me." He lead the group to Brooke's small hospital room.

Inside Brooke was lying barely awake on the small hospital bed. She was surrounded by pillows to help keep her comfortable while she slept. When the door opened Brooke took her attention away from the white cast on her ankle.

"Peyton!" Brooke smiled weakly at her friend but her smile disappeared as Nathan and Lucas walked in behind her. "What are they doing here?"

Nathan fought the urge to cry at Brooke's broken appearance, "We came here to apologize and tell you that you were right..."

"Our grudge against one another was petty and we've resolved it pretty quickly after seeing you get into that accident." Lucas moved to Brooke's bedside as Peyton carefully climbed into her friend's bed.

Brooke laughed in disbelief, "It took me getting hit by a car and almost dying for you two to realize how stupid you were being?"

Nathan and Lucas looked at one another than back to a black and blue Brooke. They both gave her a nod of their heads.

"Well I'm glad you worked it out." Brooke opened her bruised arms wide into the air. Lucas laughed and hugged her first but moved out of the way so Nathan could hug her next.

"I'm sorry Brooke!" Nathan whispered into her ear as he hugged her as tightly as he could without hurting her any further.

"It's okay." Brooke smiled sadly as she took his wet face into her hands. "As long as I didn't go through all of this in vein. Something good came out of me getting into a car accident."

"You're better than all of us Brooke!" Peyton spoke up from her sitting position on Brooke's bed. "You've been through so much and you don't seem to have an ounce of anger in you!"

That night Lucas fell asleep in the chair beside Brooke's bed while Nathan fell asleep on the cold floor of Brooke's room. Peyton and Brooke were asleep in the hospital bed. Lucas' mother, Karen Scott, walked into the room and smiled at the sleeping teenagers.

"Luke!" Karen whispered as she tried to shake her son awake. "Lucas Scott!"

Lucas woke up and shook his head as he knocked his mother standing in his face, "Mom?"

"Yeah I got your voicemail about you being at the hospital." She looked around the room, "What happened?"

"Brooke, Nathan, and I were hanging out but we got into a fight and Brooke stormed off." Lucas swallowed hard as the harsh image of Brooke's car being hit played in his mind, "Brooke's car was hit from the side by a truck and her car slid and hit a light pole."

Karen winced at the explanation of what happened. She looked back at the girl peacefully sleeping in the bed, "Is she going to be okay?"

Lucas nodded with a wide smile, "She is already back to her normal self."

Karen could see in her son's eyes how much he truly cared about Brooke, "Well I want you home by eleven so you can eat sleep because no matter what you are still going to school in the morning."

"Thank you mom!" Lucas hugged his mother tightly.

"Whose this?" Brooke woke up to find Lucas hugging someone.

Karen turned and faced Brooke, "I'm Karen Scott, I'm Lucas' mother."

Brooke let out a hoarse squeal. "It's so nice to meet you! I'm Brooke Davis."

"It's nice to meet you too." Karen laughed in disbelief. _"How can someone be so cheerful after being so badly hurt?"_

"You have an amazingly sweet son!" Brooke winked at a blushing Lucas.

Karen looked back and forth from Brooke and Lucas, "Are you two dating?"

"No mom!" Lucas felt embarrassed by his mother's question.

"Relax! I was just asking." Karen laughed and turned back to Brooke, "It was nice to meet you but I'm going to go before I embarrass my son any further or before I start showing you baby pictures of him." She teased her embarrassed son.

"Thank you for allowing him to stay here!" Brooke said as Karen turned to leave.

Lucas shut the door behind his mother and sighed a heavy sigh relief, "Sorry about that!"

"Sorry about what? Your mother is sweet!" Brooke adjusted her position so she could be comfortable but still allow Peyton to sleep comfortably.

"I'm sorry she asked if we were dating." Lucas took his seat beside Brooke's bed side.

Brooke began to peel off the casket she was wearing on her broken index finger, "I didn't find anything wrong with it. I wouldn't care if anyone mistook me as your girlfriend. Any girl would be lucky to have you on her arm!"

Nathan listened to their conversation from the cold floor of the hospital room. He couldn't help but frown at the fact that Lucas obviously liked Brooke as much as he did. He just got his brother back and he didn't want to let a girl ruin it for them but he really liked Brooke and wanted to be with her.

The next morning Nathan stopped by the hospital on the way to school. He arrived at Brooke's room with a dozen roses in his hands. "You awake?" He knocked on the door as he slowly opened it.

Brooke was lying in bed putting on mascara. She nearly dropped her hand held mirror as Nathan walked in, "Hey Nate!" She smiled widely and extended her arms out for the jock to hug her.

Nathan laughed and hugged her tightly, "Good morning sleep head." He placed the dozen roses into her bruised arms.

"Thank you so much!" Brooke squealed at the sight of the beautiful red roses, "They are so beautiful."

"Beautiful roses for a beautiful girl." Nathan kissed Brooke's scratched up cheeks. "I just wanted to stop by to give you these so you could have something beautiful to look at in this depressing room besides yourself."

The lame pick-up line seemed to work on Brooke as her cheeks began to burn and turn a bright red shade. "You're so sweet!"

Another knock sounded off on the door as Lucas walked into Brooke's room holding a bunch of colored daises. Both brothers stood in the room looking at one another. Both feeling a twinge of jealousy but neither willing to show it before the other. Both brothers had gone to the hospital that day to promise Brooke a date once she got better but who was going to get the first chance to ask?

"Brooke?" Both brothers called out to the battered and bruised pampered teen.

"Yes?" Brooke turned her attention away from her armful of flowers.

"Do you like your flowers?" Lucas stepped forward and took a seat on the edge of Brooke's hospital bed.

Brooke looked down at the colored daises Lucas brought her, "They are amazing! They are just as pretty as the roses Nathan brought for me." She sat the armful of flowers down on the night stand beside her bed. "Thank you!"

"Actually that is why I'm here." Nathan sat down in the chair beside her bed. "I want to properly thank you for getting me and Lucas talking again so I want to prepare a dinner for you when you get out of here!"

Brooke clapped her hands together and squealed loudly, "Oh Nathan that is so sweet of you!"

"Yes really sweet." Lucas said quietly as he looked down at his hands, "I'm gonna get going. I'm glad you're doing better Brooke!" He kissed her forehead and turned to leave the room.

"Wait! Luke you're going back after practice right?" Brooke called out to him.

"Yeah sure." Lucas glanced over at Nathan who was grinning ear to ear at Brooke, "I'll see you later."


	5. Chapter 5

Several weeks had gone by since her accident and Brooke Davis was finally able to walk on her still sore ankle. It was now time for the teenage girl to arrive back to school. Thanks to a reluctant Haley James, Brooke was able to stay up to date on all of her school work and tests. Haley never liked going to Brooke's large home because she'd always feel like a third wheel to Nathan and Brooke as the couple would become lovey dovey at random moments during Haley's tutoring sessions with Brooke. Haley also knew how her best friend, Lucas, felt about Brooke. Lucas stopped dropping by Brooke's to check on her two weeks after she was released from the hospital. He didn't like seeing his brother with her.

"Looking good Brooke!" A random class mate of Brooke's called out to the brunette teenage girl.

Brooke smiled and flipped her brown hair off of her shoulder, "I know!" Her black leg casket causing her to limp away from her class mate rather than her usual strut.

"Hey, let me get that!" Nathan ran over to his girlfriend and took her heavy red back pack off of her shoulder, "You shouldn't have to carry your own books."

Brooke smiled from ear to ear, "Well that's what I have you. You are my professional book carrier!" She leaned in to kiss Nathan but out of the corner of her eye she spotted Lucas walking towards them.

Lucas had his hood covering his spiky, sandy blond hair and his eyes were glued down to the iPod in his hand.

"Hey Luke!" Brooke called out to the handsome jock but Lucas was unable to hear her shout so he walked right past her. "Luke!" She called out louder.

Lucas heard his name being called so he pulled out his ear buds and looked around. He spotted Brooke standing in his brother's arms.

"Oh hey Brooke." He nodded towards his brother, "Hey Nathan." Lucas looked down at his dirty brown boots.

Brooke's smile quickly disappeared as Lucas refused to look at her. "Well I've missed you Luke! You haven't been coming around much."

Lucas began to nod his head slowly, "I've been busy with homework and practice."

"Oh well it's good to see you!" Brooke tried to push past the feeling of butterflies forming in the pit of her stomach.

"Yeah you too." Lucas pushed his ear buds back into his ear before turning and walking inside of the school.

Brooke turned to Nathan and frowned, "Could that have been any more awkward?"

Nathan laughed and leaned down to kiss Brooke. "Maybe he is going through a lot at home. His mom is still in Paris; maybe he misses her." He shrugged off the awkward encounter with his brother and his girlfriend. He didn't mind as long as it meant that Lucas was no longer making eyes at Brooke.

[**Back to Practice**]

"Brooke!" The cheerleading squad all squealed their captain's name as she limped into the practice gym with Nathan carrying her back pack on one side and Peyton carrying her gym bag on her other side.

"Hey beautiful ladies." Brooke smiled and became the center of a group hug. "Sorry I haven't been around much! I should be back cheering in no time." She carefully climbed onto the bleachers and took a seat in the first row.

Nathan leaned down to kiss Brooke but she turned her cheek to him after spotting Lucas watching them from the corner of the gym. He frowned but kissed her cheek.

"I'll be driving you home again right?" He sat Brooke's back pack at her feet.

"Actually Peyton wanted to give me a ride home. We haven't spent any girl's time alone since the accident." Brooke nudged Peyton in her side. "Right Peyton?"

Peyton almost laughed at the tickle feeling she got from her friend nudging her in her side, "Yup! I miss my best friend. You get her everyday all day but today I get to hog her." She pulled Brooke into her petite arms.

"You're weird Peyton." Nathan ran towards the side of the gym where his teammates were stretching.

Both teenage girls watched Nathan run gracefully across the large gym.

"Uh-oh! Lying to Nathan already." Peyton turned to Brooke, "What's going on?"

Brooke looked down at her pale pink nail polish on her freshly manicured nails. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I'm talking about you totally avoiding kissing Nathan then you lying to him about me taking you home because I supposedly miss you." Peyton pulled her pompoms out of her gym bag. "So what's going on Brooke?"

"Okay ladies!" Brooke stumbled to her feet; ignoring Peyton. "Let me see what you've been working on while I was away."

During practice Brooke and Lucas were caught staring at one another several times. Brooke tried to play it off as her pain killers making her sleepy and making her zone out but Lucas' excuse was the simple fact that he thought she looked beautiful.

Brooke ended cheer practice ten minutes early before the boy's practice so she could get a head start into the parking lot before Nathan or Lucas could catch up with her. Last week she was sure she wanted to be with Nathan but now that she was back at school and back to seeing Lucas every day she wasn't sure what she wanted anymore.

[**Peyton's House**]

"Can I do anything else for you highness?" Peyton playfully bowed to Brooke.

Brooke laughed and hit her best friend with a pillow. "I'm not like demanding anything crazy! I just ask that you wash off my grapes before giving them to me and that you refrain from blasting that god awful metal rock music you like to listen to while you draw." She popped a green grape into her mouth.

"Okay diva!" Peyton plopped herself down onto her plush bed beside Brooke. "I am so sore from practice!"

"Why? You didn't do anything!" Brooke ate another grape.

Peyton laughed in disbelief, "I did more than you miss broken leg!"

"It's broken ankle…" Brooke corrected her friend, "And I had no choice."

Peyton began to nod slowly, "Just like you had no choice but to blame your staring at Lucas on your pain killers which I know for a fact you stopped taking last week."

Brooke's eyes grew wide but she managed to compose herself, "I was not staring at him!"

"Yeah and I'm not really Peyton Sawyer I'm just her twin sister!" Peyton gave her eyes a roll, "You were totally checking him out and in front of Nathan."

Brooke sighed heavily, "Okay so he's hot."

"Nathan is pretty hot too." Peyton rolled over onto her side so she was facing Brooke. "But you're bored with Nathan aren't you?"

"I'm not bored with Nathan!" Brooke put down her bowl of grapes and she lied down in the bed next to Peyton.

"Then what is it Brooke?" Peyton wanted Lucas and Brooke to be together but neither of them seemed to want to be the first to admit how much they like one another.

"Nothing Peyton!" Brooke's voice rose to a shout, "I'm happy with Nathan so just drop it!" Her voice was full of uncertainty.

"Right…" Peyton sat up in her bed, "So you wouldn't mind if I asked Lucas to the winter formal then?"

Brooke opened her mouth to give her friend the go ahead but she couldn't find the words. Peyton smiled at her friend's reaction.

"You like him Brooke and that's okay." Peyton nodded reassuringly but Brooke shook her head.

"It's not okay Peyton." Brooke slowly pulled herself up in the bed, "I like them both. I like them a lot!"

"Oh…" Peyton trailed off.

"See!" Brooke plopped back down onto the bed, "I want them both but that isn't fair to either of them!"

Peyton climbed out of her bed and grabbed a piece of paper and a pen. She handed the items over to Brooke.

"What the hell is this Peyton?" Brooke sat back up in the bed. "Drawing only helps you through things like this not me!"

Peyton rolled her eyes and ignored her friend's comment as she climbed back into her bed. "Let's make a pros and cons list about the two boys and we'll put them side by side. Whoever gets the most pros will get you, Brooke Davis!"

Brooke stared at the white sheet of computer paper, "I can't make this decision by making a list!" She scrabbled on the white sheet of paper. "Since I can't choose one I'll just break it off with Nathan and have neither of them."

"You sure that's what you want?" Peyton felt as if she was waiting for Brooke to break down.

"No! I want to be with Nathan…" Brooke covered her face with her hands, "I want to be with Lucas!" She let her hands drop back down to her sides. "With Nathan I know how he feels so it feels safe but with Lucas I have no clue how he feels about me and it drives me crazy."

Peyton tried to refrain from being bias but she wanted to shake Brooke and yell at her to pick Lucas over Nathan. "Brooke…"

"Yeah?" Brooke peeled her chocolate brown eyes off of her hands.

Peyton couldn't bring herself to say anything after seeing the confusion and pain written all over her friend's face. "Nothing."

[**The Next Day**]

"Hey!" Brooke approached her blond haired friend with a bright smile.

Peyton squinted as she examined Brooke's face. The last time the two girls talked Brooke was depressed and confused but now she seemed happy and back to her old self.

"Someone looks happy!" Peyton linked arms with her best friend and the two girls made their way towards the cafeteria.

Brooke flashed a sparkling silver bracelet that was dangling around her wrist, "Nathan came over to my house after I left your place. We stayed up all night talking and I was honest with him about my feelings for Lucas. Then he pulled out this bracelet and we just…" Brooke's cheeks turned pink as she bit down on her lip.

"Oh ew! Ew! No thanks." Peyton waved her hands in the air, "I don't want to hear about you and Nathan having sex!"

Brooke's smile only got wider, "But it was so amazing Sawyer!"

"What was amazing?" Nathan wrapped his arms around his girlfriend. "Hey Peyton."

"I was just telling Peyton about the moment you gave me my beautiful bracelet." Brooke stood on her toes and kissed her boyfriend, "I love it!"

"Hey Nate!" Haley James, Lucas' best friend, approached the couple. "We still on for after school?"

Brooke put her hands on her hips as she examined the short dull looking girl standing in front of her.

Nathan kept his arms around Brooke as he turned his attention onto his tutor, "Yeah. Thanks!"

"Don't be late Nathan." Haley pointed a pencil in his direction, "I mean it. I will leave if you're more than a minute late."

Haley turned and left without acknowledging neither Brooke nor Peyton. Brooke turned her stare from Haley's back to Nathan.

"What?" Nathan smiled from ear to ear.

"What was that?" Brooke said with a twinge of jealousy in her voice.

Nathan looked in the direction Haley had gone into, "She is one of the best tutors in the entire school."

"Why do you need a tutor?" Peyton asked out of curiosity.

"I'm failing chemistry and I have to maintain a C average to play during the games on Friday!" Nathan informed both girls of his failing grade.

"I could have tutored you!" Brooke brushed her lips against Nathan's.

Nathan laughed, "Yeah but let's be serious! I actually have to learn something to pass." He kissed his girlfriend's lips and walked into the school.

Brooke's mouth dropped open as she watched her boyfriend walk away from her.

"Brooke!" Peyton waved her hands in Brooke's frozen face. "Brooke?"

She snapped out of it but didn't move, "Did he just call me stupid?"


	6. Chapter 6

[**Brooke Davis**]

"I finally got that damn cast off of my foot!" Brooke stepped out of her sky blue BMW that was parked next to her best friend's black Comet.

The two girls stepped out of their cars at the same time.

"And I see you are going straight back to wearing heels instead of flats like the doctor suggested." Peyton said with a shake of her head.

Brooke pulled out a pair of leopard print flats with a red sole and tiny black bow detail around the toe, "I have these just in case!"

"Then take off your heels." Peyton took the flats and her friend's book bag out of her hands so she could take off the heels. "We need you back on the squad and you aren't going to get back anytime soon with wearing sky high heels."

Brooke pouted deeply as her friend demanded she take off her wedges. "But they are so cute!" She opened the driver's door to her luxury car and sat down, pulling off both heels very swiftly. "C'mon before someone assumes we've gone broke and that I can't afford shoes!"

Peyton obliged and handed over the flats to her best friend, "I thought you were over being all about appearances?"

Brooke slid on the leopard print flats and climbed out of her car, "Says who? What you look like defines who you are!" She brushed her brown hair off of her shoulder and replaced it with her red back pack.

The two girls walked hand in hand through the court yard. As they were passing the basketball team buses they saw a kid being bullied. Three baseball players were knocking the kid's books out of his hands and trying to get his back pack off of his shoulders.

"Hey!" Brooke shouted to the disrespectful jocks, "Hey losers!" She raced over as fast as she could and pushed each boy away from the frightened kid.

"Oh hey handicap! Where is your cane?" One of the jocks turn their teasing on Brooke.

Brooke dropped her book bag and grabbed the jock by his shoulders, "Don't you ever call me that again." She whispered into his ear before kneeing him straight into his penis.

She watched as the jock crumbled down onto the floor, "And I better not see you bullying anyone else again you jack ass!" Brooke and Peyton both jumped at the boys in unison.

The jocks scurried away once they managed to get their hurt friend off of the paved ground of the court yard.

"Sorry about that!" Brooke turned to the kid who was being bullied. She helped him pick up his books, "Don't mind jerks like that. They just don't get enough attention at home from their mommy or daddy. Trust me I am an experienced candidate in this category " She turned with Peyton and walked inside of the school building.

[**Jimmy Edwards**]

The bruised kid watched as the two teenage girls who had just defended him against his bullies walked away. He laughed on the inside as he noticed neither girl bothered to introduce themselves to him.

_"I'm guess I'm not worthy of knowing your name."_ Jimmy thought to himself, _"Or I should already know because you're Brooke Davis and Peyton Sawyer."_

Jimmy met both girls on several occasions and each time neither girl introduced themselves to him and they'd pretend like he was invisible until they needed a pencil for class or needed to cheat on a test.

Jimmy pulled out a single cigarette from his hoodie pocket and a black lighter decorated with red and blue flames. He was not a smoker but he'd always wanted to be one and today was his last chance.

He made his way into the crowded hallways of Tree Hill High and toward his locker. Looking at all of the faces around the halls that seemed so happy almost made him change his mind about what he was about to do, but when he arrived at his locker his bullies were throwing his stuff around and no one was trying to stop them.

Anger rushed through Jimmy's veins as he approached his trashed locker. He bent down to pick up his things and one of the bullies kicked him in his gut. It took several moments for Jimmy to regain his breath but once he did he dug into his back pack and pulled out a gun. He pointed the .45 at the jocks who were walking away.

"He has a gun!" One of Jimmy's classmates screamed at the jocks, "Watch out!"

The jocks all turned in time for Jimmy to close his eyes and fire the gun.

[**Peyton Sawyer**]

"So where is Nathan?" Peyton and Brooke were still walking hand in hand through the school. The two girls stopped by Peyton's locker but now they were on their way to Brooke's locker.

"He has a tutoring session with Haley!" Brooke rolled her chocolate brown eyes, "But whatever I've missed you and we haven't been spending a bunch of time together like we used to."

Peyton laughed her usual soft laugh, "Brooke I see you every day after school for cheer practice and for several hours after when you come over to my house for ice cream." Peyton ran her fingers through her new short and straight hair cut.

"Well I still miss you!" Brooke pulled Peyton into a tight and playful hug by the double doors leading to Brooke's locker.

When the girls broke their hug Peyton and Brooke both noticed too late that the kid they helped earlier was pointing a gun at them. Brooke pulled Peyton down to the ground but as Peyton tried to get out of the way she felt something pierce her leg.

Chaos quickly broke out around the two girls as their class mates raced around them to get out of the school. One class mate helped Brooke off of the floor while leaving a bleeding Peyton lying there. Another class mate tried to help Peyton but the blond girl screamed out in pain so they dropped her by the library doors.

Peyton crawled into the library and continued to crawl until she could no longer stand the shooting pain in her leg any longer. She leaned against a book shelve in the back of the library. Peyton finally got a chance to look at her wound. She thought she had been shot in the leg but there was a large piece of glass sticking out of her calve.

She tried to take the glass out but that only led to her screaming into the sleeve of her shirt. _"He is going to get me!"_ Peyton thought to herself as she sobbed silently.

[**Nathan Scott and Haley James**]

Nathan and Haley were in the tutoring room finishing up their usual morning tutoring session.

"I'll see you after school for my History session right?" Nathan asked his tutor as he packed up his book bag.

Haley looked up from her notes and smiled, "After school at the dock! Don't be late." She reminded him as she pointed a pen in his direction.

Nathan opened the door to the tutor center and he saw his class mates and friends darting down the hall ways. Several class mates ran toward Nathan.

"Someone is shooting the school up man!" Skillz, Lucas' basketball friend, said as he ran past Nathan and into the tutor center. "Are we safe in here?"

Nathan's heart skip a beat as he realized what had been happening while he was being tutored by Haley. _"Brooke!"_ He thought to himself in horror. He put down his back pack and headed for the door.

"Nathan! Where are you going?" Haley called out to him.

"Brooke is out there!" A member from the baseball team had run into the room so Nathan snatched his baseball bat, "I'll be right back to lead you all out of the school."

"You gonna beat the bullets away from hitting you Nate?" Haley tugged onto his long black sweater, "This is nonsense!"

"I have to go get Brooke!" Nathan pulled away from Haley's hold. For a moment Nathan wanted to stay with Haley because he felt safe around her despite what was going on but Brooke was his girlfriend. "I promise I'll be back."

Jimmy stood up from his position in the corner of the tutoring center. The gun was hidden in the pocket of his hoodie.

"You aren't going anywhere." Jimmy pulled out the black gun and pointed it at Nathan, "Close the door."

Nathan obliged and closed the door, but he kept his hold on the door's handle.

"Now let it go so you're pretty little girlfriend can lock it shut." Jimmy ordered," Now." He raised his voice to a shout.

"Alright!" Nathan raised his hand into the air and blocked Haley from the gun with his body, "Stop pointing the gun at her." He pleaded with the shooter.

Jimmy cocked his head to the side and smirked at the tall jock standing in front of him, "Alright then." He turned the gun onto Nathan's chest. "One wrong move and I shoot him."

Haley locked the door and pulled Nathan out of the way of the gun. They took their seats back at their table and Haley melted into Nathan's arm.

"It's okay!" Nathan gently held Haley against his muscular chest, "We're gonna get out of this!"

[**Lucas Scott**]

Lucas was outside unloading from the basketball bus due to him leaving his homework in his locker.

"Make it quick Scott! And tell your knuckled headed brother to c'mon." Whitey yelled at his player as he turned to climbed back onto the yellow school bus that was carrying the team to their practice sight for their game that night.

Lucas was making his way up the courtyard when several students knocked into him. _"What the hell is going on?" _Lucas thought to himself as he made his way back towards the school.

"Don't go in there!" One class mate stopped Lucas by grabbing him by his arms, "Someone is in there shooting."

"What?" Lucas yelled as he sprinted inside of the school.

Whitey had been informed of what was happening inside but before he could stop Lucas from going inside Lucas had already disappeared behind the double doors.

_"If I was Brooke where would I go to hide?"_ Lucas thought to himself as he searched the school for his friend. He hoped his brother was safe locked away in the tutor center with Haley. _"Maybe Peyton dragged her into the library to hide but the double doors to the library don't lock."_

Lucas saw blood near the entrance leading to Brooke's locker. His heart fell to his stomach as he followed the smeared trail of blood to the double doors of the library, _"Smart choice Peyton!"_ Lucas rolled his eyes and entered the double doors, closing them slowly so they wouldn't slam shut.

"Brooke!" Lucas whispered loudly as he walked through each aisle of the library, "Peyton?" He found another blood trail and followed it. He found a bleeding Peyton crying her eyes out behind the last shelve in the library.

"Oh my god Peyton!" Lucas raced over to the bleeding teenage girl. He sat down beside her, "Were you shot?"

Peyton swallowed hard, "No!" She managed to croak out. "It's glass." She pointed down to her bleeding wound.

"Shit!" Lucas snatched off his light blue button up, "This might hurt a little!"

Peyton shook her head violently as Lucas made his way towards the glass sticking out of her calve. "No!"

"I have to Peyton! It'll all hurt less once it's out." Lucas yanked out the shard of glass from Peyton's leg and Peyton screamed into his shoulder. "It's okay." He resisted the urge to pull away as she bit down onto his shoulder. Lucas wrapped his shirt around her leg and pulled it tightly to stop the gush of blood.

"Oh my god!" Both Lucas and Peyton heard coming from the hallway. They both recognized the hoarse scream as Brooke's.

Lucas shot up onto his feet but Peyton tugged weakly onto his khakis.

"Please don't leave me!" Peyton began to cry again.

Lucas had to make a decision, stay with a dying Peyton or rescue the girl he knew he was in love with.

[**Brooke Davis**]

Brooke had been pulled to her feet by a helpful class mate but was soon knocked back down again by herds of students running and pushing one another. Brooke was still recovering from the accident and her ankle was still weak. She tried to pick herself up again but her ankle would not allow her to stand.

Brooke was pulling herself through the cold and empty hallways of Tree Hill High when she came across a blood trail. She was studying the blood trail and realized the blood could be Peyton's. Peyton disappeared from Brooke's side after the shot went off and broke the glass double doors the girl's had been walking towards.

Brooke screamed out in horror at the realization. Her screamed caused attention to be turned on her and she regretted the scream a second too late. A dark shadow started to make its way towards Brooke. She screamed out again as she started to pull herself away from the shadow.

"Brooke!" The shadow turned out to be that of Lucas' friend, Mouth McFadden. Mouth pulled his head phones off of his ears and kneeled down to Brooke, "What's going on?"

"Are you kidding?" Brooke whispered loudly to Mouth, "Someone is in here shouting up the school!"

"What?" Mouth almost yelled in disbelief but Brooke covered his mouth with her hand. "We have to get out of here!"

"I heard the shooter was blocking the doors so we have no way out! We just have to hide." Brooke tried to fight back her tears.

Mouth picked Brooke up off of the cold ground and wrapped his arm around her waist, "The safest place during a time like this is the tutor center."

[**Jimmy Edwards, Nathan Scott, and Haley James**]

"Alright tough guy!" Jimmy started rumbling through the drawers of the teacher's desk. He found black masking tape in one of the drawers of the wooden desk, "We're going to create a line. None of you are to cross it."

Jimmy threw the black tape at Nathan and pointed the gun back onto the jock.

"Let's go!" Jimmy ordered as he made his way around the desk.

Nathan was reluctant to leave Haley's side but he pulled himself away and began to make a line down the front of the room. Once he was done Jimmy snatched the tape away.

"Now get back across the line!" Jimmy pushed the gun against Nathan's back.

Haley bit down on her lip as she nervously watched Jimmy poke Nathan with the .45 he was holding in his shaking hands. Haley pulled Nathan into her arms as Nathan slowly made his way back over the black line.

"It's okay!" Nathan began to soothe Haley again, "I'm okay I promise."

"It's not okay!" One of the class mates locked away with them spoke up from the corner, "He has a gun and he is going to kill us all one by one."

"Abby you can't think like that." Haley recognized the pale girl hiding in the corner. She pulled herself together to appear strong for her frightened class mate.

"Well she's right!" Jimmy stepped closer to the edge of the line, "I'm going to kill you all…"

A knock on the door interrupted Jimmy's threats to his class mates.

"None of you better not have called anyone or the Jocks die first." Jimmy unlocked the heavy door to the tutor center and found his friend Mouth standing on the other side. Jimmy hid the gun behind his back. "What are you doing?"

"I heard this was the safest place to hide." Mouth pushed past Jimmy and pulled Brooke into the room.

Once they were in the room Jimmy pulled the gun out from behind his back, "Now whoever told you that really must have wanted to dead." Jimmy pointed the gun at his friend.

Mouth stood frozen as he stared down the barrel of the gun, "Jimmy it's you!"

Brooke limped away from Mouth but turned and pulled him across the black line, "Who cares who it is? He has a gun and he used it already."


	7. Chapter 7

[**In the Library**]

"Peyton! Brooke could be in danger. I have to go get here!" Lucas kneeled down in front of Peyton. "I promise I will be right back!" As Lucas stood back up Peyton tugged on his pant leg again.

"Please Luke!" Peyton pleaded with him not to leave, "I'm afraid he is going to find me a shoot me in the head." Her head dropped below her shoulders as she started to fade in and out of conciseness.

"Peyton!" Lucas sat back down and took Peyton's pale face into his hands, "Peyton! You gotta stay with me."

"But I'm so cold Luke!" Peyton frowned as she struggled to keep her eyes open, "I just want to go to sleep."

Lucas gently shook Peyton's head, "Peyton I'm going to get you out of here okay! But you gotta stay with me."

"I'm dying Luke!" Peyton sighed weakly, "You know I've always wanted to tell you something…" She took his hand into hers.

"What is it Peyton?" Lucas scanned the windows of the library wondering if the police were outside or if they even knew what was happening inside of the high school.

"I want you to tell Brooke how you feel." Peyton closed her eyes but jerked them open again, "You know you'd make one pretty hot last kiss Lucas Scott!" She said with a weak laugh, "Would you hold it against me if I kissed you?"

Lucas laughed awkwardly but gave his shoulders a gentle shrug, "I wouldn't hold it against you." Lucas quickly gave Peyton a peak on the lips before pulling away. "Okay now this may hurt a little but we gotta get you out of here!"

[**Back to the Tutor Center**]

"You okay Brooke?" Nathan kept his stance beside Haley who was clinging onto his arm.

"Yeah I'm okay." Brooke limped over to a table and took a seat in one of the chairs.

"Who the hell cares if she is okay?" Jimmy screamed at Nathan, "I'm not okay!" He scratched his temple with the loaded gun. "I'm not okay!" He whispered to himself.

Mouth was still shocked at the fact that his former best friend was the one holding the gun and the hostages in the tutor center. _"Great now Brooke's life is in your hands!"_ He thought to himself as he helped Brooke get comfortable with her sore ankle. "Jimmy you don't have to do this." Mouth turned his attention on his friend, Jimmy.

"I do have to do this and you know what is sad about it all?" Jimmy looked around the room at the faces of his hostages, "There is not a single person in this place worth remembering but they are going to remember me as the monster and you as the victims."

"We are the victims!" Brooke fought the urge to yell at the troubled kid. "You are pointing the gun at us!"

"So this makes you a victim?" Jimmy waved the gun in the air and laughed in disbelief, "You're all driving around in your fancy cars and living in your fancy houses but you all forget about people like me! We become invisible to you or we become target practice because you don't get enough attention from mama and daddy at home."

Brooke flinched at Jimmy's words; he was using her own advice against her. "That isn't fair!" Brooke snapped at him.

"You know what isn't fair? This is probably the only time you've been truly scared." Jimmy took the gun off of himself and turned it on Nathan, "How about you, Nate? You scared?"

Nathan pushed Haley behind him so the gun wasn't pointing to her, "Yeah I'm pretty scared."

"Now you see how I feel on a daily basis when I walk into this school! Welcome to my world!" Jimmy's hands were still shaking. Although he seemed to know what he was doing every action only made him more confused. _"What are you doing Jim?"_ He thought to himself.

Haley was behind Nathan dialing 9-1-1 on her cellphone. She was able to tell the operator where they were before she accidentally pressed a number and the entire beeped in her hand.

"What was that?" Jimmy screamed as he shook the gun in his hand, "Whose phone was that?" When no one answered him he paced back and forth, "Alright." He opened a draw to the teacher's desk, "Pass me all of your cellphones and iPods." Everyone in the room just stared at him, "Now!" He ordered.

Brooke handed Mouth her cellphone who slid both of their phones across the black tape. Nathan followed suite and dug his phone from the pocket of his jeans while Haley closed hers as quiet as possible before sliding it with everyone else's phone.

"I want the bat too!" Jimmy pointed to the metal bat in Nathan's hands that Nathan took from a fellow hostage.

Nathan looked down at the bat and hesitated but rolled it over the black line he'd taped down the front of the tutor center.

"No one is going to be a hero today!" Jimmy yelled, "There will not be a hero in this story."

Mouth was fighting back tears as he watched his old friend swing his gun around the room, "Why are you doing this?" He could no longer hold back his tears; tears began to spill down his cheeks.

"Oh so now he speaks!" Jimmy laughed in disbelief, "When was the last time we've actually spoken Mouth? When was the last time you called me to hang out at the river court? What about you, Skillz."

Skillz looked up from his white sneakers, "Man the phone works both ways! When was the last time you called us?"

Jimmy ignored Skillz and turned to the cellphones lying on the floor. Haley's phone was still turned on and her call to 9-1-1 was still recording.

"Oh Haley!" Jimmy picked up her phone, "I used to actually like you." He put the phone to his ear, "Wake up and realize what is happening." He threw the phone at the wall and turned the gun on Haley. "If I hear anyone come up the hallway I'm shooting them and then I'm coming back for you!"

Nathan pushed himself back in front of Haley, "Don't point the gun at her!" He held onto Haley's shaking hand. "She is terrified!"

Brooke watched as Nathan threw himself in front of a gun for Haley but left her sitting open for fire at the table.

"Well how about I take away your other girlfriend then?" Jimmy turned the gun on Brooke, "Which one is it gonna be, super star?"

Nathan remained in front of Haley, "Don't point the gun at her!" He said through grated teeth, pissed that Jimmy was putting him in the position of choosing between two terrified young women.

Brooke looked in disbelief as Nathan stood in ground in front of Haley. Mouth pushed himself in front of Brooke.

"I'm not going to let you shoot her!" Mouth stood up to his friend, "Nor am I going to let you shoot any of them without shooting me first."

[**In the Library**]

"No one is out there so we need to do this quickly." Lucas kneeled down next to Peyton. He'd gone to scan the hallway in front of the library but found nothing but scattered papers, books, and a leopard print flat.

Peyton was too weak to speak so she only nodded at him.

"Alright!" Lucas scooped his hands underneath Peyton but the girl began to cry due to the horrible pain. "I'm so sorry Peyton."

She nodded again and wiped away her tears with the sleeve of her shirt.

"You ready?" Lucas hesitated before trying to scoop Peyton back into his arms.

Peyton shook her head violently but her body gave out and she lost conciseness.

"Peyton!" Lucas yelled down at her, "Peyton you gotta stay with me!"

With ease Lucas picked up Peyton and walked to the double doors of the library. He opened the library doors with his back and carried her out into the hallway. His hands were under Peyton so he couldn't stop the doors from slamming shut. He flinched at the loud sound of the two doors slamming shut.

The slam from the library doors echoed through the tutor center. Jimmy looked up from his shaky hands and headed for the door.

"Wait!" Haley called after him, "You don't have to do this Jimmy! You can walk out of here and go get some help. You don't have to kill anyone!"

Jimmy laughed, "Yeah I need help! Well so does the person you called to come save you." He turned to leave but looked over his shoulder at Haley, "I'm coming back for you."

Jimmy's words echoed in Haley's head. _"I'm coming back for you!"_ She buried her face into Nathan's muscular chest and cried. Nathan wrapped his arms around Haley and rocked her back and forth like a child.

Jimmy Edwards entered the hallway that day at 12:00 pm and with the intention of shooting whomever he found in the hallway but he wasn't sure if he had it in him to pull the trigger again.

_"They deserve to suffer like I'm suffering."_ Jimmy thought to himself as he slowly made his way through the hallway. He found his old friend, Lucas Scott, holding Peyton Sawyer in his arms. "What are you doing Luke?" Jimmy pointed the gun at his old friend. "Doesn't anybody understand the meaning of lock down?"

Lucas' Uncle Keith entered the hallway and stepped between Lucas and Jimmy.

"Keith what are you doing here?" Lucas didn't want his family getting hurt in any of this. "Keith, let's get out of here!" He pleaded with his uncle.

"Lucas you go outside and hand Peyton over to the paramedics that are waiting just outside the door." Keith remained in between Jimmy and Lucas as he guided his nephew towards the door.

"He isn't going anywhere! I swear to god I will shoot him." Jimmy was shaking the gun at Lucas' head.

Keith remained calm as he continued to guide Lucas toward the door. "Peyton is going to die if you don't let them leave right now."

"I shot her?" Jimmy dropped down to his knees with the gun down to his side and he began to cry, "I didn't want to hurt anyone! I just wanted them to realize that it's not okay! How I feel is not okay."

Keith got Lucas out of the building without Lucas nor Peyton getting any further hurt. He turned his attention back onto Jimmy.

"It all gets better Jimmy!" Keith smiled sadly at the hurt teenager kneeling down in the middle of the hallway.

"No it doesn't!" Jimmy pointed the gun up at Keith.

Keith's hands flew up into the air, "It does get better Jimmy! Outside is the real world and in that real world is places where you can seek help and be forgiven for what you've done today."

"How will they ever forgive me?" Jimmy scratched his temple with the gun, "I have their wonderful kids locked away threatening to shoot them!" He began to cry again, "I just wanted them to like me!"

"You are hurt! You've been through a lot and right now you aren't in your right mind." Keith moved closer to Jimmy in an attempt to take the gun away.

Jimmy began to beat on his chest, "You're right! It all hurts so bad!" He began to sob violently, "How will this pain ever go away?" He put the gun up to his chest.

"Jimmy don't do that!" Keith raced towards Jimmy.

"I'm sorry!" Jimmy murmured to Keith before he pulled the trigger to the gun and shot himself in the heart.

"No!" Keith yelled out as he hovered over the boy's dead body.

The shot echoed around the entire school and spilled outside into the court yard. Haley stopped crying and pulled herself away from Nathan's chest.

"Maybe he is dead!" The pale faced girl hiding in the corner finally stood up. She raced out of the room and toward the nearest exit.

"Abby, no!" Haley screamed after the girl but was too late Abby was racing down the hall way.

Moments later another shot was heard from all around the school. Keith Scott was now dead at the hands of his little brother, Dan Scott.

As the second shot rang throughout the tutor center Haley melted into Nathan's arms while Mouth melted into Brooke's. Skillz sat staring at the open door in disbelief. They all wondered if their class mate Abby was died.

[**In the Courtyard**]

Lucas was being questioned after handing Peyton over to the paramedics. His mother, Karen, stood by his side clutching tightly onto his hand.

"We have one more thing and then you may leave." The police officer interviewing Lucas looked down at his blank notepad, "It appears that your uncle Keith was…" The police officer cleared his throat before continuing, "Keith Scott was killed by Jimmy Edwards only moments before Jimmy turned the gun on himself and take his own life."

Karen felt her knees give out underneath her but Lucas managed to catch his mother. They held one another in the courtyard and cried for the loss of their beloved Keith.

All of the hostages were released from the building all at the same time but before they could enjoy their freedom they were each questioned by the police. Camera crews all turned their cameras on the hostages as they were released from questioning.

"How did it feel to be held hostage by your class mate?" One camera woman pushed a microphone into Brooke's face, "Is it true that this was a desperate attempt to just fit in?"

Brooke snatched the microphone from the news reporter's hands, "You should be ashamed of yourself. We lost lives today in that hallway! Focus on that." Brooke dropped the microphone at her feet and raced over to Lucas. "Luke!"

Lucas took Brooke into his arms, "Brooke! I was so worried about you."

"Do they know what happened to Peyton?" Brooke was fighting back tears. "I pulled her out of the way of the gun shot but she disappeared from my side after that! I don't know where she went!"

"I found her in the library. She fell onto some glass and lost a lot of blood. They took her to the hospital!" Lucas brushed Brooke's bangs away from her wet eyes.

Brooke buried her face into his chest and just cried. "Luke I'm so glad you're okay!"

Lucas held Brooke gently in his arms as he rested his chin atop of her head, "I'm glad you're okay too." He whispered to her.

Nathan was being interviewed with Haley when he saw Lucas with Brooke. The sight of Brooke and Lucas holding one another turned his stomach upside down ,but it didn't make him angry; it felt right to him. Lucas and Brooke looked like they were meant to be with one another. He looked down at his hand and realized him and Haley were still holding each other's hand.

_"This feels right!"_ Nathan thought to himself.


	8. Chapter 8

It had been a five days since the school shooting and school had been cancelled for an entire week to let the students and teachers cope with the tragedy that took place in the hallways of the high school. Lucas spent his week off of school helping his emotional mother plan his Uncle Keith's funeral. Brooke spent her time off alongside Lucas helping him through the grief process while Peyton spent the time on bed rest. Nathan and Haley spent their time together going on dates and getting to know one another outside of their tutoring sessions. Nathan and Brooke had an unspoken break-up. Neither actually broke up with one another but they knew it was over.

"Hey Luke!" Brooke walked into the tiny kitchen of Lucas' home with two cups of coffee in her hands. "How did you sleep last night?"

Lucas was hunched over a pile of paperwork at his dining room table. His mother was too emotional to come out of her room so the house was a mess.

Brooke sat the coffee in front of Lucas, "You can have both if you'd like!" She turned and began to do the dishes that were beginning to pile up in the sink.

"Brooke, you don't have to do that." Lucas managed to pick up his head, "I'll wash them out later."

"Let me help you, Luke!" Brooke turned away from the sink full of dishes, "I want to help. I like to help!"

Lucas smiled sadly at the brunette with soap subs on her petite hands, "Thank you."

"It's really no problem at all Luke!" Brooke smiled and turned back to washing the dishes.

The door to Karen's bedroom opened slowly. Karen emerged out of the dark room with her hair unbrushed and her robe barely hanging onto her thin body. She walked silently into the kitchen and grabbed the coffee from the table before walking back into the bedroom. This had gone on everyday Brooke came. Karen would remain silent and only come out to eat which was rare.

"She still not talking?" Brooke finished the last dish and dried off her hands.

Lucas released a heavy sigh from his lips, "She keeps blocking me out! She won't let me in."

Brooke opened her arms wide to Lucas and hugged him tightly, "She is just dealing with this in her own way. When she is ready to let you in she will." She kissed the top of Lucas' forehead, "You have your suit picked out for this afternoon?"

Keith's wake was the previous evening and now it was time for Keith's funeral. Karen had dropped out of planning the event so Brooke stepped up and helped her friend plan the sad event.

Lucas nodded slowly, "I'm going with the one you picked out for me. The black one." He frowned at the word "black." It all seemed so depressing and he didn't know how he was going to get through it all.

"Okay good! I'll be back in about an hour to pick you and Karen up." Brooke brushed her nose against his and left the house.

They'd agree to wait on having a relationship because Brooke was going through a break up with Nathan and Lucas was grieving the loss of his Uncle Keith. They wanted to make sure that in the end their feelings would still be the same or even stronger.

"Hey!" Brooke had ran home to curl her hair and do her make-up but her dress was in Peyton's closet so now she was at Peyton's home.

Peyton was lying in bed with her crutches lying at the foot of her bed. She had her drawing pad in her lap but she wasn't drawing she was just staring at the blanket page.

"Oh hey Brooke." Peyton closed the drawing pad and threw it off of the bed. "Your dress is still hanging up there." She nodded toward the black dress bag handing from the door knob of her closet.

Brooke smiled and skipped over to her black dress. "You're still coming right?" She got undress and slipped on her black dress.

"I don't know." Peyton was staring at the gaze pad wrapped around her leg. "It might be too much on my leg."

Brooke pouted and turned to her wounded friend, "Sawyer! Lucas and Karen need you there!" Brooke could see how badly the school shooting was effecting Peyton. Brooke had been afraid to sleep in the dark but that only lasted for several days.

Peyton pulled her attention away from her wound, "Okay I'll go." She climbed out of bed and pulled her crutches from the bed to help her stand.

"Okay well what are going to wear?" Brooke slipped her feet into a pair of black pumps she found in Peyton's oversized closet.

"I'm wearing this." Peyton looked down at her outfit. She had on a green hoodie with a grey V-neck and matching grey pants.

Brooke laughed in disbelief as she took in Peyton's casual outfit, "Yeah right! Get changed Peyton."

"What's wrong with what I have on?" Peyton slid on her white and black Converses. "I don't want to wear a dress and showcase my bloody leg. The bloody leg I got the day Keith was killed!"

Brooke winced at the word blood and shook her head, "Okay you can wear that. I'll see you there!" She blew her friend a double kiss before running out of the door and driving back to Lucas and Karen's home.

Karen was sitting on the couch fully dressed when Brooke walked into the kitchen. Lucas was sitting at the kitchen table with his hand covering over his left cheek.

"Hey Luke!" Brooke smiled widely but when she searched Lucas' cold eyes her smiled disappeared. "What's wrong?"

Lucas slowly moved his hand away from his red left cheek. A bright red scratch was going down his cheek.

"What happened?" Brooke gasped as she raced over to him.

He shushed her as he glanced back at his mother who was sitting frozen on the couch. Karen slapped her son after Lucas insisted on her letting herself go since Keith's death. He hadn't meant it in a harsh way but he was tired of Brooke having to do the dishes and bring them food because Karen would refuse to get out of bed.

"She got upset!" Lucas dropped his head down into his shaking hands. "I can't go to the funeral with a big cut on my face." He said into his hands. "People will start asking questions or assume I got it during the shooting."

Brooke held up her index finger and dug through her studded black purse. She pulled out antibacterial for his cut, "This may sting a little." Lucas flinched as she smoothed the gel over his red cut. "Now for the magic!" Brooke pulled concealer from her make-up bag and covered his cut with perfection. "There all done!" Brooke handed him her compact mirror.

Lucas hesitated to look at the mirror but once he did he was impressed, "Oh wow Brooke! Thank you." He wrapped his arms around her. Brooke rested in his arms until Karen interrupted them.

"I'm ready when you are!" Karen's facial expression was numb.

Brooke smiled at Lucas' mother as if she had no idea what had taken place between Lucas and Karen before she got there.

"You look nice Karen!" Brooke examined the woman's loose fitted black dress and old sheer, black tights. "Great shoes." She lied as she took in Karen's pointy toed kitten heels.

"Thanks Brooke!" Karen smiled for the first time since losing her fiancé, Keith. "I've been meaning to thank you for helping us out around here while we all process through losing Keith."

Brooke shook her head slowly, "Oh nonsense! I love helping you guys out." She grabbed Karen's hand, "It's my pleasure."

Karen's eyes fell upon Brooke's touch to her cold hand. It felt nice to be treated with such care and love.

Lucas stepped between the women, breaking their hold. "We're ready to go mom." He grabbed Brooke's hand and walked out of the house.

During the funeral's church service Karen cried upon Lucas' shoulder and Lucas squeezed Brooke's hand whenever he felt he was about to break down and cry. Afterwards they rode in Keith's motorcade to the grave yard where Peyton finally showed up in her hoodie and with her crutches in hand.

"Thank you for coming Peyton!" Lucas gave Peyton a gentle squeeze as he hugged her.

Peyton kept her eyes down on her Converses. She felt guilty about Keith's death after learning Keith went into the school and was shot after helping get her out to the paramedics. She avoided Lucas' phone calls in fear that he'd hold her responsible.

"Of course!" Peyton mumbled to him before limping back to her father's side.

Lucas frowned as he watched Peyton walked away from him, _"That was weird!"_ He thought to himself but was snapped out of his thoughts as his mother grabbed hold of his arm. He wrapped his arm around his mother and pulled her into his side. With his free hand he held onto Brooke's hand.

Nathan arrived at the Keith's grave hand in hand with Haley. Haley had tears streaming down her red cheeks but Nathan stood at her side solid as a rock.

Nathan and Brooke locked eyes as Haley and Nathan took their place beside to Brooke. They hadn't spoken since they were being held hostage in the tutor center the day Keith was killed.

"Hey Brooke." Nathan nodded once toward his ex-girlfriend.

"Hey." Brooke turned her attention to the ceremony taking place in front of her.

Everyone watched in silence as Lucas threw the first pile of dirt onto Keith's casket and as Karen wept as she placed a single lily on his casket. After the service was over everyone headed back to Lucas' and Karen's home. Brooke helped Karen put together a late lunch for everyone while Lucas showed is appreciation for everyone who showed up to say goodbye to his Uncle Keith.

"Hey man!" Lucas' friend, Skillz, gave Lucas a solid pat on the shoulder, "I'm gonna head out. Get some rest before going over to Jimmy's funeral tomorrow."

Lucas looked down at his friend with disgust, "Don't say that name in my house. Don't disrespect my mother that way!"

"Jimmy was our friend, Luke!" Mouth was standing by Skillz's side. "We owe him this."

Lucas laughed in disbelief, "I don't owe him anything! He killed my Uncle Keith or did you forget?"

"Man, we didn't forget but did you forget all those nights we spent on the court with Jimmy?" Skillz waved his hand in a dismissive way as he walked away from his old friend. "I'll see you later dude."

Mouth turned to follow Skillz but looked over his shoulder at Lucas, "I'm disappointed in you, Luke!"

"I could say the same thing about you, Mouth!" Lucas raised his voice to a shout. "Get out!"

Brooke and Karen turned around from serving the food and drinks to their guest. Lucas walked into his room and slammed his door shut. The loud sound made everyone in the house flinch.

"I got it!" Brooke stopped Karen from angrily entering Lucas' bedroom. She knocked once before opening the door. "Luke?"

Lucas was lying face down on his bed. He rolled over onto his side when he heard Brooke's sweet voice. "Hey Brooke." He began to pick at a loose thread on his sheets.

"What was that all about?" Brooke took a seat next to Lucas on his bed.

Lucas gave his shoulders a stiff shrug, "They wanted to go say goodbye to Jimmy."

"What's wrong with that?" Brooke gently caressed Lucas' cheek, "You got a chance to say goodbye to your Uncle Keith. Don't you think they deserve a chance to say goodbye to their old friend?"

"He killed my Keith! And he held all of your hostage!" Lucas said through grated teeth.

Brooke let out a soft sigh, "He was troubled, Lucas. He was not in his right mind! That boy had been beaten and bullied until he couldn't take it anymore."

Lucas was silent as he thought about Brooke's words.

"You two grew up together and he was one of your greatest friends! He made a tragic mistake but you can't blame it all on him!" Brooke moved a picked up Lucas' face by his chin, "It's okay to say goodbye to Jimmy!"

Although Jimmy held Brooke hostage in the tutor center she'd forgiven him. It wasn't worth sleepless nights and angry punches to the wall. She had to forgive him for her sanity and because she knew Jimmy had been hurt.

"Thank you, Brooke!" Lucas pulled her down onto his chest. "You're pretty special, you know that?"

Brooke smiled widely and brushed her hair from her shoulder, "I know!" She laughed. "But so are you." She gave his nose a gentle poke.

Lucas smiled and brushed his lips against Brooke's before gently kissing her. "I want to be with you Brooke Davis!"

"I thought you wanted to wait?" Brooke said breathless.

He gave his head a stubborn shake, "I changed my mind. I want you, now!"

"Well then okay boyfriend!" Brooke kissed Lucas repeatedly onto his thin pink lips.

Lucas pulled away from the kiss and stared down at Brooke.

"What?" Brooke pouted because he stopped their tender kisses.

Lucas laughed softly and gave his head a shake, "It just feels amazing to hear you call me boyfriend!"

"Boyfriend! Boyfriend!" Brooke whispered against his lips, "Boyfriend!"


	9. Chapter 9

"Hey boyfriend!" Brooke raced over to Lucas after spotting in him the courtyard. Lucas caught Brooke in his arms as she jumped slightly into the air.

"Hey pretty girl!" Lucas planted a gentle kiss on her soft, pink lips. "I've missed you."

Peyton walked on her crutches over to the couple, "Didn't you two just see each other last night? And didn't she call you this morning to let you know that she was pulling into the parking lot?"

Brooke pouted and nudged her friend in the side, "Ew! Miss Debby Downer has arrived to ruin the party." She playfully teased her friend as she grabbed Peyton's back pack from her shoulders and laid it on the ground.

Nathan and Haley walked onto the courtyard hand in hand and Haley stopped when she noticed Lucas standing near the entrance to the school.

"Hey Luke!" She greeted her best friend with a bright smile and a tight hug.

Haley and Lucas hadn't spoken since Haley voiced her negative opinions about Lucas' girlfriend, Brooke Davis, and Lucas called her a hypocrite for dating Nathan and calling Brooke a bad influence after everything Nathan had done.

"Hey Hales." Lucas took his friend into a tender, prolonged hug, "I've missed you."

The two friends could not stay mad at one another for too long. Haley promised Lucas that she would get to know Brooke before judging her and Lucas promised to make more of an effort towards being a big brother to Nathan.

"Hey Brooke." Nathan greeted Brooke with a simple nod of the head.

Brooke held back her laughter at his plain gesture towards her, "Hey Nathan." A small giggle managed to slip from her lips but she bit her bottom lip in embarrassment.

The bell rung and broke the awkward silence building among the group of friends. Lucas broke from his hold on Haley and grabbed Brooke's hand to walk to class. Nathan and Haley went their separate ways and no one seem to notice that they had forgotten about a limping Peyton.

"Hey Peyton." Jake Jagielski, a teammate of Lucas and Nathan's, approached the skinny, blond cheerleader. "You okay?" Jake picked up Peyton's heavy book bag and motioned his hand towards the building. "After you."

Peyton smiled at the handsome jock, "Thank you Jake." She was getting better with walking so she began to limp towards the class while dragging her crutches behind her.

"You're friends seriously forgot about you?" Jake said with a sad laugh as he sat Peyton's belongings on her desk. "That's pretty sad considering it appears you all have the same first period." He looked around the room and spotted Lucas and Brooke sitting in the middle of the classroom and Nathan and Haley sitting near the back.

"They're just caught up in their own drama." Peyton's wounded leg was throbbing from the long walk so she hopped over to her desk and sat down. "It's okay!"

Jake took a seat in the empty desk next to Peyton, "It's not okay though Peyton! They should take better care of you."

Peyton opened her mouth to say something but the teacher interrupted her sentence by starting class. She looked back at her coupled off friends and sighed lightly. _"It's not okay!"_ She thought to herself.

After class Brooke approached her friend's desk, "Hey !" She smiled widely and picked up her friend's book bag but Jake took the heavy black bag from her hands.

"I got it Brooke!" Jake swung Peyton's book bag over his shoulder, "You ready to go Peyton?"

Brooke frowned as her friend nodded silently and walked around her without saying anything. Brooke's mouth was hanging open and Lucas playfully pushed it shut. Brooke pretended to bite at his hand.

"What was that all about?" Lucas swung his arm around his girlfriend's shoulder as they left the empty classroom.

"I was wondering the same thing!" Brooke wrapped her arm around Lucas' waist and erased the memory of Peyton's recent rudeness out of her mind.

At practice Lucas approached his younger brother, Nathan. "Hey man." The two boys patted one another on the back before pulling away from their short embrace.

"Hey." Nathan went back to stretching out his calves on the side of the gym, "So you and Brooke? How did that happen?"

Although Nathan tried to act as if it doesn't bother him, seeing Brooke with Lucas drove him crazy. She bounced back from their break-up so quickly and she bounced back with his older brother.

"You and Haley," Lucas responded as he dribbled a basketball around.

Nathan nodded his head slowly, "It was kind of unexpected! We just bonded over the whole shooting and even more at Keith's funeral."

"I know what you mean! It is the same thing for Brooke and me!" Lucas smiled over at his girlfriend who was lining her cheerleaders up along the bleachers for their practice.

Nathan frowned; he knew Brooke had a thing for Lucas before the shooting but she promised her feelings were nothing but a small school girl crush.

"Hey boyfriend," Brooke ran across the gym after practice and wrapped her arms around Lucas' neck. She nuzzled her nose against his nose, "I've missed you."

Nathan watched with jealous eyes as Brooke and Lucas embraced in a loving hug and kiss. _"School girl crush my ass!"_ Nathan thought to himself as he quickly raced toward the exit of the gym to get away from the couple.

After Peyton refused to show up to cheerleading practice Brooke got worried and decided to stop by Peyton's house. In the driveway of the two story brick house sat an unfamiliar car. She got out of her car and looked inside the unlocked black convertible. Inside she found a dirty, pink pacifier.

"Ew!" She tossed the old pacifier onto the street and continued to snoop through the car.

She found one of Peyton's notebooks lying on the passenger side floor and in the cup holder was Jake's state id.

"Jake?" Brooke thought to herself aloud as she read the id.

"Can I help you, Brooke?" Jake and Peyton emerged from the house.

Brooke dropped the id and sat frozen in Jake's driver's seat. She slowly picked up her eyes from the fallen id and found Peyton angrily staring at her from the front porch of her home.

"I was worried about Peyton…" She began to defend herself against the angry stares.

"So you go through my car?" Jake said in disbelief as he charged the old black car. "Seriously?"

Brooke gave her shoulders a slow shrug, "I was also just being noisy?"

"Yeah, I can see that!" Jake snapped at the brunette girl climbing out of his car, "You know what? Peyton I gotta go."

Jake jammed Peyton's notebook into Brooke's hands and sped off down the street.

Brooke looked on as the car burned rubber passing several stop signs, "How rude!"

"Brooke!" Peyton called out to her friend, "What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that any guy with a baby's pacifier in his back seat is a creep!" Brooke handed Peyton her white notebook from Jake's car.

Peyton frowned and looked at the tire marks Jake left in the middle of her driveway from speeding off, "Pacifier?"

Brooke ran into the street where she threw the pacifier and tossed it in the air towards Peyton. Peyton watched the dirty pink pacifier drop at her feet. Jake was about to tell Peyton a secret and he led her out to his car to do so but instead of him telling her his secret they both found Brooke snooping through his car.

"See! I helped you dodge a big fat bullet with that one!" Brooke playfully teased her friend and walked inside of her home, "You can thank me with ice cream and praises of love." She said sarcastically.

Peyton nodded slowly but she couldn't peel her eyes off of the tire marks. She couldn't help but wonder what Jake wanted to tell her. _"Maybe he has a daughter?"_ Peyton thought to herself, _"But he is only sixteen!"_

"Peyton, where is the mint chocolate ice cream?" Brooke called out to her best friend from the kitchen. "Snap out of your silly little thoughts and come inside! I'm sure the pacifier is from Jake babysitting for extra cash!"

Peyton sighed heavily as she snapped out of her own thoughts. "It's in the fridge Brooke!" She turned and slowly made her way into the kitchen. "So how was practice?"

Brooke found the mint chocolate ice cream and she already had a spoon stuck inside of the tub of ice cream. She pointed the silver spoon at Peyton. "That reminds me of why I'm actually here!" She flung a spoonful of ice cream at Peyton, "Why weren't you at practice today?"

Peyton successfully dodged the ice cream as she took a seat at the wooden dining room table sitting in the corner of her large kitchen, "In case you've forgotten I'm handicapped for the time being. I even have a handicap sign hanging from my car that reads h-a-n-d-i-c-a-p!"

Brooke stuck a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth and rolled her eyes, "I still missed your presence today! It's not as much fun when you're not there."

These words made Peyton soften up towards Brooke, "I'm sorry I didn't make it today! What was it like being forced to see your ex-boyfriend?"

"You should know! You dated both brothers at one point!" Brooke playfully teased her friend as she scooted her way on to the top of the kitchen counters. "It was so weird but Lucas managed to keep my attention for most of practice." Brooke's cheeks turned a bright pink as she bit down on her bottom lip.

"Ew," Peyton covered her eyes with her hand, "I don't need to see or hear you daydreaming about Lucas being naked!"

Brooke laughed and shook her head. "You've almost slept with Lucas before! I know you once thought about him naked maybe even twice." She waved her hands in the air. "Halt! Lucas is mine! He is for me to think about naked!"

"You can have him!" Peyton gave her hazel eyes a roll.

"You sure you don't mind me being with him?" Brooke suddenly turned serious, "I remember you telling me not too long ago how much you liked him!"

"I'm fine with it Brooke!" Peyton squealed at her best friend as she playfully rolled her eyes to the back of her head, "I'm like so fine with it!"

Brooke frowned and jumped down from the top of the kitchen counter, "You sure? I mean I'm dating your ex-boyfriend."

Peyton shook her head once, "You're dating a guy I used to hook up with. You dated my ex-boyfriend and I was even fine with that."

"Yeah only because he treated you like crap!" Brooke sat down on the dining room table and shifted her body so her legs were on either side of Peyton.

"I've moved on from both Lucas and Nathan! The Scott brothers now bore me." Peyton said with a fake yawn. "I'm more than happy for you and Lucas! I've been rooting for you two the entire time."

"Really?" Brooke smiled and wrapped her arms around her thin, blond best friend. "I love you P. Sawyer!"

Peyton laughed, "I love you too Brooke!"

"But now I know for sure that you like Jake Jagielski!" Brooke squealed as Peyton's cheeks turned red. "Oh. My. God. You do like him!"

Peyton gave her shoulders a light shrug, "So what if I do?"

"So what? He is a total hottie!" Brooke said with a laugh, "You need a boyfriend! You haven't had one since you told Nathan to go screw himself!"

Peyton frowned as she realized how long it has been since she last had a boyfriend. "Jake doesn't like me like that!"

Brooke shook her friend by her shoulders, "Get some confidence ! He totally likes you like that."

"Did you forget how fast he left out of here?" Peyton bit down on her thin bottom lip as the sound of rubber burning echoed in her mind.

Brooke rolled her chocolate brown eyes, "Only because I was snooping through his car. I'll make it up to him!" Brooke jumped off of the table and skipped toward the front door.

"Where are you going?" Peyton called after her friend.

"I'm going to make things up with Jake so you two can get back to whatever it is you two were doing before I got here and messed it all up! You can thank me later!" Brooke raced out the front door.


	10. Chapter 10

Brooke pulled into the driveway of Jake Jagielski's tiny brick home. The brunette teenager climbed out of her baby blue BMW and headed up the three stairs leading to Jake's small home. Before she could get out one knock off against the wooden front door, Jake answered. In his arms was a crying baby girl.

"I told Peyton you were just a baby sitter not a creeper!" Brooke said with a laugh, "Hey cutie!" She squealed at the adorable, crying baby.

Jake sighed heavily, "What are you doing here Brooke? As you can see I'm kind of busy!"

Brooke threw both of her petite hands up into the air and smiled, "I'm here to apologize for snooping through your car like a noisy person and I also came to fix things between you and Peyton. She really likes you a lot Jake and…"

Jake interrupted Brooke's train of thought, "Peyton likes me?"

"Are you two being serious?" Brooke gave her chocolate brown eyes a roll, "Anyone with a pulse can see how much you two like one another. You practically ripped my head off at school because you wanted to carry her bag for her."

Jake laughed in disbelief, "I didn't do it because I wanted to carry her book bag!" He began to bounce his crying daughter in his arms to calm her down, "I did it because you left her standing by herself with a heavy bag to carry around in the court yard this morning."

Brooke's mouth dropped opened at the realization of what she had done to her best friend that morning. "Oh shit." She said as she thought back to the awkward morning in the court yard with Peyton, Lucas, Haley, and Nathan.

"Please don't curse around Jenny!" Jake bit down on his bottom lip as his words played back in his mind. He hoped Brooke wouldn't figure out that Jenny was his daughter.

"You act like this is your daughter!" Brooke took the crying baby from Jake's stiff arms and she cradled the baby girl in her arms, "Tell this mean man that your parents won't know that I cursed in front of you because they aren't here!"

Jake fought back the urge to pull his daughter from Brooke's skinny arms. He usually didn't allow for anyone to care after his daughter besides himself and his parents.

After several moments of silence from Jake, Brooke glanced up and caught the worried expression written across his face as he watched protectively watched over Jenny. He looked like any father would after handing their daughter over to a stranger. The image of the dirty pink pacifier flashed in Brooke's mind as she put two and two together.

"Oh. My. God!" Brooke gasped at Jake, "Is Jenny your daughter? Don't try and deny it either because it is written all over your nervous pink face." Brooke placed Jenny back into Jake's arms, "I wasn't going to kidnap her or drop her or anything."

Jake took his now sleeping daughter back in his arms and smiled nervously, "Thank you Brooke!"

He walked inside and left the front door to the house open so Brooke followed him inside.

"So why don't you tell anyone about Jenny? Why keep her a secret?" Brooke stood with her arms crossed across her chest.

Jake placed Jenny in her wooden crib that was set up in the tiny living room. "Because I don't want the pity some people give when I tell them that I have a daughter at sixteen."

"You also don't want your daughter growing up thinking you're ashamed of her." Brooke leaned against the wall, "Trust me! That is how most of us girls get screwed up now a days."

Jake winced at the thought of his daughter turning out like the girls he had to grow up with, "How do you tell people that you have a daughter?"

Brooke gave her shoulders a shrug, "How about this? Hey I have a daughter and her name is Jenny! She is about blank months old and she is the reason I can't hang out with you guys all the time. So no hard feelings?"

Jake laughed and scratched the back of his neck, "That actually sounds pretty okay! Except Jenny is not blank months old she is six months old."

"Well you're her parent not me!" Brooke playfully teased him with a solid nudge to the side, "You shouldn't be afraid to tell Peyton. She likes you and I think she will be relieved to know that you're just a father not a creepy guy who collects baby items in his car!"

"You don't think she'd see Jenny as a huge responsibility?" Jake was nervous about telling Peyton about Jenny in fear that he'd lose her before he even fully got a chance to be with her.

"It's not like you're asking her to marry you and become a stepmother to Jenny!" Brooke turned for the front door but stopped and looked over her shoulder at Jake, "Step up and tell her before she finds out like I did."

Brooke left the tiny house and drove back to Peyton's large brick home. Peyton was sitting on the couch that was snuggled into the smaller part of her porch.

"Hey !" Brooke casually took a seat next to her best friend on the wooden bench.

Peyton searched Brooke's brown eyes for an explanation of how things went with Jake. After several moments of silence Peyton finally nudged Brooke.

"So what happened?" Peyton asked nervously, afraid of what was about to come out of Brooke's mouth.

Brooke casually shifted her body so she was facing Peyton. "We talked and we resolved our issues!" She fought the strong urge to smile ear to ear. She wanted to tell Peyton what she found out about Jake but she wanted to give Jake a chance to tell her first.

"So it went great?" Peyton hands were balled into tight fists and her eyebrows were perked up on her pale forehead.

Brooke laughed at her friend's desperate facial expression. "He likes you too if that is what you're asking me."

Peyton smiled happily, "How do you know that he likes me?"

Brooke pushed her gushing friend. "You already know I asked him so I don't know why you even bother asking me how I know!"

"I just wanted you to make it all real for me!" Peyton smiled, "Jake Jagielski really likes me?"

"Oh gosh!" Brooke playfully whined, "I like single, lonely Peyton better!" She teased her best friend.

"Nathan? Nate! Nathan Scott!" Haley waved her small hands in the face of her boyfriend, "Earth to Nathan Scott!"

Nathan sat across Haley at their usual spot at a wooden table built by the railing that was leading to the shore of the river. He couldn't stop thinking about Lucas and Brooke in the gym after practice earlier that afternoon. He snapped out of his own thoughts to find Haley sitting across from him with a deep pout upon her face.

"What's wrong? He took Haley's hands into his own.

Haley laughed in disbelief and pulled her hands away from his gentle hold, "You didn't hear a word I just said, did you?" She held up the math book sitting in front of her on the wooden surface of the table. "Math!"

"I know you are math!" Nathan said with a roll of his eyes, "You are everything about math. I know math doesn't care and neither do you!"

Haley hit Nathan in the arm with the heavy math book. "I said that a month ago Nathan Scott!" She began to push her notes back into her book bag. "Since you aren't going to focus today we can just call it quits so neither of our time gets wasted."

Nathan gently grabbed Haley by her wrist and smiled up at his girlfriend, "C'mon Hales! I'm sorry I've just been thinking about the game in a few days." He lied to her face. "I am just nervous about the scouts coming to the game."

Haley softened up towards her boyfriend and sat down beside him at the wooden table. "Why didn't you just say that?"

He dropped his head and sighed heavily, "I didn't want to sound stupid or weird for being so nervous about the scouts."

Haley gently lifted Nathan's chin up. "Oh Nathan you don't sound weird! Even the best get nervous and in this situation Nathan you literally are the best."

"I thought you thought Lucas Scott was the best?" Nathan said with jealously thick in his voice.

She detected the jealously that coated Nathan's words, "I thought you and Lucas were doing better?"

"We are!" Nathan brushed it all off by pulling the math book open again.

Haley didn't seem to be convinced, "Are you mad that he is dating Brooke?"

Nathan became defensive when Haley brought Brooke into the equation, "Why would I be jealous of Lucas and Brooke?"

"No one said anything about jealously except you." Haley began to push her things back into her book bag.

Nathan tried to grab her wrist again but Haley managed to pull away from his grip. "Haley, where are you going?"

"I'll see you later." Haley swung her brown faux leather book bag over her shoulder, "Don't call me until you are completely and utterly over Brooke Davis!" She walked away from Nathan and in the direction of Karen's Café.

He sat at the wooden table and watched as his girlfriend walked away from him. He wanted to call after her but he couldn't find his voice in the moment. A shiny blue BMW pulled up on the street and inside was Brooke. He watched with a smile as the brunette jammed out to her loud music while she drove.

Nathan began to rise up from his sitting position at the wooden table but Brooke sped off down the street. He frowned as he watched the blue car zip out of sight. He gathered up his things and began his long walk home. On his way home Nathan had to pass by the River Court.

At the River Court were Lucas' friends; Skillz, Mouth, Junk, and Fergie. Lucas arrived at the River Court with his gray hood pulled over his sandy blond hair with his basketball in his hand.

"My man Luke!" Skillz greeted his blond haired friend with a simple pat on the back. Skillz pulled away from his embrace with his friend and he stared past Lucas' head.

"What?" Lucas followed Skillz' line of sight to Brooke's shiny blue BMW pulling up to the River Court.

"You here to cheer for me right?" Skillz called out to Brooke as she climbed out of the car.

Brooke laughed and waved at the young men standing around the court. "No sorry! Maybe if you were actually on the Ravens I could actually be your motivation and cheer for you but you're not!" She planted a soft kiss on the lips of her boyfriend but when she pulled away from the kiss she noticed Nathan watching them. "Nate?"

Everyone turned their attention towards the tall jock standing at the edge of the River Court. Nathan looked over his shoulder to see if anyone else was standing behind him. He pulled his head phones from his ears.

"Hey guys!" Nathan waved casually at the group of boys gathering on the court, "Hey Brooke."

"Aye Nate! You playing with us tonight man?" Skillz gave the jock a simple nod of the head, "You're more than welcome."

Both Lucas and Nathan answered in unison, "No!" Everyone frowned and looked around at one another.

"Well why not?" Brooke stepped away from Lucas and towards Nathan, "It could be fun for everyone!"

Nathan locked eyes with Brooke and Lucas had to clear his throat before Nathan peeled his eyes away from his ex-girlfriend's deep, chocolate brown eyes.

"Sure, I'll play!" Nathan dropped his back pack from his shoulders and he pulled his red hoodie off of his back, tossing it onto the silver bleachers. "One on one?" He offered his brother.

Lucas smiled widely and nodded once, "One on one!" He pulled off his gray sweatshirt and handed it to his girlfriend. "May the best win little brother!"

The two brothers faced one another in the center of the court as Brooke and Mouth took their places on the bleachers with Junk, Fergie, and Skillz.

"You know this is all your fault right?" Skillz said to Brooke as they watched the brothers serve one another the ball.

Brooke looked over at Skillz, "How is any of this my fault?"

"You know you're the prize at the end of this game." Skillz stood up on the bleachers, "Start the damn game already!" He shouted at the brothers.

Brooke turned her attention back to the brothers who stood facing one another in the center of the court. She bit down on her lip as she contemplated who she wanted to win the game because she knew Skillz was right, she was the prize in the end.

Lucas took the first shot and the ball went straight through the hoop. This did not make Nathan nervous but it made make him remember how talented his brother really was at the game of basketball. Nathan caught the ball and dribbled it around Lucas.

"Good shot!" Nathan complemented his older brother on his skills. He looked over his shoulder at Brooke, "I bet she's impressed."

Lucas tried to steal the ball from Nathan but Nathan threw the ball and ran to catch it mid-air, dunking it straight through the hoop.

"Now I bet she is really impressed." Nathan said with a smirk.

Lucas managed to steal the ball from his brother and he shot the ball over Nathan's head. As the hoop swished a smile stretched across Brooke's face. She was rooting for both boys but her boyfriend had the upper hand with her heart.

Nathan fetched the ball and threw it back to Lucas, "Go ahead man! No matter how many times your get that ball through the hoop we all know I'm the better candidate."

Lucas stood frozen with the ball in his hand.

Nathan smirked and got lower down, ready to stop his brother from scoring another basket. "I got all night!"

Lucas remained silent as he made another shot over Nathan's head. Nathan gave Lucas the ball back.

"What happened to you and Haley?" Lucas asked, "You just woke up one morning and suddenly realized your feelings for Brooke were back?"

Nathan gave his shoulders a shrug as he waited silently for his brother to make another shot. Lucas tried to dribble around Nathan but Nathan stole the ball from his hands.

"My turn!" Nathan smirked as he dribbled the ball. "This is going to be too easy!" With ease he dribbled the ball around his brother and dunk again.

Brooke bit down on her lips, fighting back the urge to shout out her praises for Nathan's smooth basketball skills.

The game grew more and more intense as the minutes ticked and turned into an hour. Nathan continued to dunk on his older brother but Lucas always found redemption in his free throws. Mouth had to constantly remind Brooke to breathe throughout the game.

By the end of the game the two boys were tied. Nathan started off the physical blows by elbowing his brother in the chest. Lucas bounced back quickly by tripping his brother and pushing him but Nathan got the last shot when he elbowed Lucas in the nose.

Brooke sat frozen until she saw Skillz stand up from his place on the bleachers. She grabbed the dark skinned boy and pulled him back from attacking Nathan. "I got this Skillz!" She stepped in front of the angry boy. "This is crazy! Why the hell are you two beating one another up over a tied score?"

"We all know this is about something more than just a tied score, !" Skillz snapped from behind the brown haired cheerleader.

"This better not be about me because that is disgusting behavior!" Brooke stepped down from the silver bleachers. At first the thought of two boys fighting over her sounded amazing but now that she saw what it was doing she was annoyed and angry. "You two need to grow up and at this point I don't want either of you so you both lose."

She pulled her car keys out of the jacket of her blue hoodie and climbed into her car. Before either boy could stop her from driving away she sped off, the sound of rubber burning echoing throughout the entire court. Both brothers watched in disbelief as Brooke sped out of sight.


	11. Chapter 11

Brooke sped into her driveway, catching the attention of her mother. Victoria Davis emerged from behind the front door of the large white house and she stood on the front porch with her hands on her slim hips and her eyebrows pushed together.

"What in God's name do you think you are doing?" Victoria shouted to her daughter.

Brooke quickly climbed from the driver's seat of the blue luxury car and she slammed the door. "Not now mother! I've had a rough night."

Victoria laughed in disbelief at her teenage daughter, "Brooke Davis! You are not my mother. I am your mother!" She rolled her eyes and turned to walk back inside of the house but she turned back to her daughter. "And for heaven's sake do something about that god awful track suit. I don't see how any guy would find you attractive in that ugly thing!" She walked inside of their home, but shut the front door in her daughter' face.

Brooke stood face first against the cold red door. Her mouth was hanging wide open at her mother's painful insult.

"I think she's wrong." Lucas spoke from the bottom of the porch stairs. "I think you look beautiful in your cheerleading track suit!"

Brooke pulled herself together before she slowly turned around to face her boyfriend, Lucas. "Luke, what are you doing here?" She crossed her arms over her chest, not moving away from the door.

"I just came here to apologize and talk about what happened down at the River Court." Lucas sat down on one of the steps, "Please sit with me?" He patted the marble step.

Brooke hesitated but eventually took her place on the cold marble steps beside him. Lucas searched Brooke's cold eyes for any emotion as to how she felt towards him after his childish behavior at the River Court. But he seemed to get nothing but stillness from her eyes.

His eyes dropped down to his scratched up hands, "I'm so sorry Brooke!"

She interrupted him by placing her hand on his leg. "Lucas, please not now. I feel so drained and all I want to do right now is sleep!"

"That only makes me want to say what I have to say even more." He picked up her hand from his leg and held it, "I think I need time to fix things between my brother and me before I allow a girl to tear us apart. I just my brother back and I don't want to lose him…"

Brooke pulled her hand from his soft hold, "Are you breaking up with me?"

Lucas sighed heavily as his head dropped below his shoulders. "I'm just saying maybe we should take a break so I can work on things with my brother. I don't want to lose Nathan again."

"But you don't mind losing me?" Brooke began to nod her head slowly as she took in his words, "I understand." She began to stand from her sitting position on the stairs but Lucas gently pulled her back down onto the white stair.

"Please don't be mad at me for this Brooke!" He pleaded with her.

"I'm not mad, Luke! I get it!" Brooke peeled his fingers from her wrist and she walked inside of the house.

Lucas watched the red door slam shut. "I'm sorry Brooke!" He whispered before disappearing into the night.

Brooke plopped herself down onto her bed and sighed heavily. She wanted nothing more than to cry but she felt too drained to do anything but lie there and stare blankly at the cream colored walls of her bedroom. After a few moments a knock sounded off on her bedroom door.

"Lucas, go away!" Brooke yelled but remained still on her bed.

The knocks continued, forcing Brooke to pull herself out of her bed. She fell down onto her knees but didn't have the energy to pull herself up so she crawled over to the door. She pulled it open and was surprised to find Nathan standing on the other side of the door.

"Nathan, what are you doing here?" Brooke looked up at the jock from her position on the floor.

Nathan jumped when he finally noticed that Brooke was sitting down on the floor, "Brooke!" He clutched his tank top. "You scared me half to death! What the hell are you doing on the floor?"

Brooke wanted to laugh when Nathan jumped backwards away from her but something felt wrong about it. _"Lucas and I are broken up so I can do whatever I want!"_ Brooke thought to herself as she began to laugh.

"Brooke, are you okay?" Nathan kneeled down in front of the laughing teenage girl. "What is so funny?"

Brooke held her sides as she continued to laugh. "No I'm so not okay!" Her laughter slowly began to turn into sobbing.

"Oh no please don't cry Brooke!" Nathan scooped Brooke up into his arms and lied her down on her round bed. "I'm sorry for elbowing your boyfriend in the nose." He didn't know what to do so he just rubbed her back.

"Lucas isn't my boyfriend!" Brooke threw herself back into Nathan's arms, "It hurts so bad but the thing is I think I still want to be you but you're with Haley."

"Haley and I broke up today." Nathan lied back against the bed's head frame so Brooke could lie down on his chest. "Why did you and Lucas break up?"

Brooke looked up at Nathan with big eyes full of tears, "We broke up because of you! Why did you and Haley break up?"

"We broke up because of you." Nathan smiled down at Brooke, "Ironic right?"

Brooke laughed in disbelief, "It is definitely something!" She brushed her lips softly against his. "Maybe it's the universe's way of saying we should still be together?"

Nathan felt butterflies build up in the pit of his stomach as he felt Brooke's lips brush against his own. "Maybe you're right." He whispered against her lips. He leaned into the kiss with Brooke.

She pulled away from their soft kiss, "This feels so right!" A smile stretched across her lite up face, "This feels so right!" Brooke leaned in to kiss Nathan again.

The bodies began to toss and turn in unison as Brooke peeled off Nathan's red tank top and pulled off his gray basketball shorts. Nathan began to pull Brooke's blue tracksuit off of her body.

"Are you sure about this?" Nathan said against her lips as he tried to catch his breath.

Brooke took a deep breath and nodded, "Kiss me Nathan!" She whispered to the handsome jock.

Nathan obeyed Brooke's wishes and pulled her into another kiss. His fingers explored every inch of her soft skin as their lips met over and over again. He pulled himself inside of her and their bodies moved in unison. Brooke's moans getting louder with every thrust.

"Oh. My. God!" Brooke said breathlessly against Nathan's chest.

Nathan laughed and nodded in agreement to Brooke's satisfaction. "Yeah! That was…."

"Amazing!" Brooke finished his sentence, "That was amazing." She glanced over at the red numbers on the face of her purple alarm clock. "Oh goodness!"

Nathan followed Brooke's line of sight to the girly alarm clock, "We've been at this all night!" He said with a laugh.

"We're gonna be so tired in the morning!" Brooke began to push and kick him out of her round bed.

"What are you doing?" Nathan held onto the bed's head rest.

Brooke gave him one rough push and Nathan fell to the floor with a loud thump. She gasped and held her breath as her mother called out her name.

"Brooke Penelope Davis! What in God's name was that loud bump? Please tell me someone isn't robbing us!" Victoria began to turn on all of the lights as she slowly made her way to her daughter's bedroom.

"I just tripped and fell on my way to the bathroom." Brooke threw Nathan clothes to him and pointed to the bathroom, "Get in the bathroom." She mouthed to the naked jock. Brooke began to pull her pajamas onto her naked body.

"Try to be more careful next time!" Victoria stuck her head into her daughter's dark bedroom. "Your fall sounded like that of a three hundred pound man." She closed the door behind her and made her way back to her bedroom.

Brooke held her hand over her mouth as she tried not to laugh. She knocked on the door and Nathan emerged from behind the bathroom door. The pair locked eyes and burst into a fit of laughter. Brooke covered Nathan's mouth with her hand as their laughs began to get too loud.

"Sh!" She removed her hand from his mouth, "I'll see you at school!" She stood on her tip toes and kissed him.

Nathan kissed her lips a few times before gathering up his back pack and leaving Brooke's bedroom. Brooke threw herself onto her messy bed and she began to kick her legs in the air as she squealed loudly.

"Good morning !" Brooke greeted her friend with a tight hug. "It's so beautiful outside today!"

Peyton frowned as she took in the sight of her glowing friend. Her eyes widened, "Did you and Lucas do it?"

Brooke covered her friend's mouth, "Geez Peyton! You wanna scream it to the whole school? I don't think the English department heard you yet."

Peyton peeled Brooke's fingers from her mouth, "So you two did do it?"

Brooke gave her eyes a slight roll. "No! We didn't do it." She bit down on her bottom lip, "Not last night anyway!"

"So why are you so happy and glowing?" Peyton leaned onto her crutches, "You and Nathan did it?" She asked sarcastically.

Brooke dropped eye contact with Peyton and she remained silent as she looked down at her poorly manicured nails.

"Oh my word!" Peyton pushed her friend, "You and Nathan Scott?"

"Peyton!" Brooke squealed as she scanned the court yard to see if anyone had heard Peyton's loud squeal. "You have such a big mouth, !"

Peyton made a zipping motion towards her lips, "Okay sorry! I'm just shocked that you're back with Nathan! What happened to you and Lucas?"

Brooke crossed her arms over her chest and sighed heavily, "He broke up with me last night!" She picked at the chipped nail polish on her nails. The break-up still stung her but when she was around Nathan that sting disappeared.

"Hey Brooke. Hey Peyton!" Lucas approached the two teenage girls.

Brooke looked up from her chipped nail polish and forced a smile upon her lips, "Hey Luke!"

"Hey Luke!" Peyton's hazel eyes were darting back and forth between the two exes.

Lucas and Brooke both remained silent as they stared at one another. The bell rang and the two remained still and silent until Peyton began to tug on Brooke's sweater sleeve.

"We have to go Brooke!" Peyton pleaded with her still friend. "Like now or we're gonna be late."

Brooke pulled her attention away from Lucas' blue eyes and turned to Peyton. "Let's go!" She picked up her friend's book bag and they two began to walk towards their first period class.

"Brooke?" Lucas called after his ex-girlfriend.

"What is it Luke?" Brooke stopped walking and turned on her heel to face him.

Lucas took a deep breath, "I think I've made a mistake."

Tears began to sting the back of Brooke's eyes, "Luke! You need to work on your relationship with Nathan so you go do that." She turned swiftly and walked away from Lucas.

Last night hit Brooke like a ton of bricks now that she knew Lucas wanted her back. She felt the tears fill the brim of her eyes as she took her seat in her first period and got a glance at a smiling Nathan.

She avoided eye contact with the handsome jock but couldn't lose him once the class ended. He caught up with her in the hall way.

"Hey Brooke!" Nathan twirled her around by her hand so she was facing him. "I had fun last night."

"Of course you did! We had sex." Brooke said sarcastically.

Nathan laughed, "I had fun when we weren't having sex."

"Nathan!" Brooke whispered loudly to him as she pulled him into the girl's bathroom. She blocked the bathroom's door with the heavy metal trash can.

"Bathroom sex?" Nathan said with a wide smile, "I admit I didn't see this one coming!"

"Nathan, we aren't having sex in the bathroom!" Brooke pushed Nathan in the chest. "I just wanted to talk to you about last night and since everyone seems to have a big mouth today I decided in here would be the best place."

She began to push open the doors to all of the stalls to make sure no one was listening in on their conversation.

"What about last night?" Nathan pulled himself up on the sink and he took a seat on the edge of the hard white rim.

"Last night can never happen again!" Brooke ran her hands down her face and sighed heavily. "Lucas wants so badly to make things work with you and the last thing I want is to come between the two of you again."

Nathan frowned and pulled Brooke closer, "But I want to be with you Brooke Davis."

Brooke closed her eyes tightly and she melted into Nathan's arms. "I want to be with you too but if I'm being honest than I'd have to tell you that I'm not over Lucas yet."

Nathan rested his chin atop of her head as he held her against his chest, "We'll figure this out."

"We just can't figure this out in public." Brooke pulled away from their prolonged embrace. "We need to figure things out between the two of us before we start bringing other people into this mess!"

Nathan nodded in agreement, "I promise to keep this between me and you."

"You better not tell that loser friend of yours!" Brooke lightened up the mood. "Tim! That boy has such a big mouth."

Nathan rolled his eyes as he slipped off of the surface of the white sink, "I won't tell Tim!" He pushed the heavy trash bucket out from in front of the door with ease. "After you!" He opened the door to the restroom for Brooke.

Standing outside of the bathroom was Haley. Brooke stepped out into the crowded hall, nearly knocking into Haley.

"Oh sorry!" Brooke stumbled pasted a stunned Haley as Nathan walked out of the bathroom behind Brooke.

_"What the hell?"_ Haley thought to herself as she watched Nathan and Brooke walk down the hallway together. She spotted Lucas at his locker so she made a bee line over to him. "Why the hell is Brooke coming out of the girl's bathroom with Nathan in tow?"

"Hello to you too!" Lucas closed the book he had been glossing through at his locker. "Now what did you say about Nathan and Brooke?

Haley took a deep breath before repeating herself, "I just caught Brooke and Nathan coming out of the bathroom together. Both of them were smiling from ear to ear so I don't think they were in there just talking!"

Lucas frowned as he scanned the hallways for his brother and ex-girlfriend. He found Nathan leaning against the wall next to Brooke's locker. The two were laughing together.

"I doubt they would do anything like that at school." Lucas kept his eyes on Brooke and Nathan.

"Who are we kidding? He is Nathan Scott and she is Brooke Davis!" Haley motioned her hand towards the pair that was standing down the hall from them. "They are infamous for hooking up."

Lucas gave his head a shake, "Brooke wouldn't do that to me."

His frowned deepened as Brooke began to lovingly help Nathan remove something from his eye. He began to walk towards Nathan and Brooke but they went in separate directions and he could only catch up with Brooke.

"Hey Brooke!" Lucas stopped her in the hallway, "Can I ask you something?"

Brooke stopped walking and turned to Lucas, "Is this about Haley seeing Nathan and I in the bathroom together? If so then I can explain all of that."

"I'd love to hear why you two were hanging out in a public bathroom together." Lucas crossed his arms over his chest.

"We were just talking." Brooke tried to rack her brain for a better excuse than just talking but she couldn't come up with anything else.

"Why did you have to talk in the bathroom?" Lucas raised an eyebrow at Brooke. "Why didn't you just talk outside in the hallway like normal people?"

Brooke ran her fingers through her dark brown hair, "It's not like we were having sex in the bathroom! You know me Luke! You know I wouldn't do that in a public bathroom." She pretended to shutter at the idea of her and Nathan hooking up in the bathroom but the idea only turned her on.

"What were you two talking about?" Lucas questioned.

Brooke suddenly had an excuse for being in the bathroom with Nathan after seeing someone putting up the prom posters."We were planning ways for Nathan to ask Haley to prom."

Lucas squinted as he thought about Brooke's excuse as to why she had been in the bathroom with his younger brother. "Really?"

Brooke nodded reassuringly, "Yup! But you have to promise not to tell Haley because he wants it to be all big." She gave him a pat on the shoulder, "You choose a perfect time to break up with me! Now I don't have a prom date."

Lucas laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head, "Sorry about that." He suddenly had an idea about taking her to prom. He had no plans on going until now and he knew exactly who he wanted to go with.

"I'll see you later Luke!" Brooke gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek before walking off to her second period class.

Once Brooke was completely out of sight, Haley approached Lucas.

"So what lame excuse did she give you about being in the bathroom?" Haley asked.

"They were just talking." Lucas answered before walking away. He didn't want to give away what Nathan was planning for Haley so he left her standing in the middle of the hallway by herself.

"Nathan!" Brooke ran up behind the tall jock, "I really gotta talk to again."

Nathan turned away from his group of friends, "Twice in one day? You sure you want to keep us a secret?" He teased her.

Brooke put her hands on her hips and looked at Nathan's friends, "Excuse me! Can you go away like right now?" She shot the boys a look that made each one scurry away except one, Tim.

"So you two are back together?" Tim smiled from ear to ear as he wrapped his arms around Brooke and Nathan, "I knew you two love birds would fly back together eventually."

Brooke and Nathan looked at one another.

"I didn't tell him." Nathan mouthed to Brooke, "I promise."

Brooke turned to Tim and hit him in his stomach, "Go away Tim! You're so annoying sometimes."

Tim held his stomach, "My momma always said if they pick on you they like you! You better watch out Nathan!"

"Ew!" Brooke squealed, "Never in a million years will I ever be interested in you!" She pulled Nathan down the hallway and into an empty classroom.

"I'm sorry about Tim!" Nathan took a seat on top of one of the empty desk. "So what did you want to talk about?"

Brooke shuttered with disgust at the sound of Tim's name. "Whatever!" She closed her eyes to clear her mind, "I told Lucas we were in the bathroom together because we were discussing you asking Haley out to prom."

"What?" Nathan flew back onto his feet, "Why would you tell him that? I was going to take you!"

Brooke held up her index finger. "First of all, no you weren't! And second, I panicked!"

"Wait?" Nathan frowned, "Why can't I take you to prom?"

"Don't you think that would defeat the purpose of us keeping this whole thing between us a secret?" Brooke placed her hands on his chest. "Just ask her! No one stays with their date the whole time anyways."

Nathan remained quiet as he thought about it, "Okay! So how do you suppose I ask her?"

"Simple! Decorate her locker and ask her to prom." Brooke smiled widely, "It is how I would want to be asked to prom."

Lucas had been walking by when he saw Nathan and Brooke together in an empty classroom. He managed to crack open the door enough to hear how Brooke wanted to be asked out to prom. He smiled widely and got an idea but before he could snap out of this own thoughts Nathan and Brooke came out of the door.

"Hey man!" Nathan forced a smile upon his face, "What are you doing out here?"

Lucas threw his hands in the air, "I promise I won't tell Haley!"

"Tell Haley what?" Haley came around the corner.


	12. Chapter 12

"Brooke Davis, you owe me big time!" Nathan Scott barged into Brooke Davis' bedroom through her side door.

Inside Brooke's bedroom was Peyton Sawyer. Peyton was lying across the bed with her crutches lying beside her on the bed and her cast in her hands. Brooke had gone downstairs to grab Peyton some ice cream after accompanying her to a physical therapy session.

"Oh hey Peyton." Nathan stopped in his tracks when he realized Peyton was in the room not Brooke.

Peyton rolled over onto her stomach so she was looking at Nathan, "Looking for Brooke?"

Nathan nodded, "Is it that obvious?" He asked sarcastically.

Peyton laughed and shook her head. "I'm wondering how long you and Brooke can actually keep all of this up."

"What are you talking about?" Nathan sat down on the bed beside his ex-girlfriend.

Peyton pushed herself up so she was no longer lying down, "I know about you and Brooke, Nathan! I'm her best friend and I notice things."

Nathan rolled his eyes and plopped back onto the bed, "It's complicated!"

"Okay so we ran out of mint but we still have cookies n cream!" Brooke came back into the room with two bowls of ice cream in her hands. "Nathan? What are you doing here? And in my bed with Peyton?"

"I thought you'd like the sight of him lying in your bed?" Peyton teased her best friend. "Cookies and cream is fine, thanks."

"Peyton!" Brooke squealed as she hit her friend with one of the pillows resting on her bed. "You have such a big mouth, I swear…"

Nathan pulled himself up from his lying position on Brooke's bed. "I already know that she knows about us."

"Peyton, you really need to learn how to keep a secret or I'm going to have to trade you for Bevin as a new best friend." Brooke kicked off her shoes and climbed into the bed.

"Why not trade me for Haley?" Peyton managed to slide her way off of the bed and out of the way of pillows being thrown at her by both Nathan and Peyton. "Too soon?"

Brooke and Nathan both nodded in agreement, "Way too soon." They said in unison.

"Well I'll just be downstairs watching the TV!" Peyton limped over to the door, "I'll turn it up so I don't hear any moaning that will be taking place up here the moment I hit the power button on the remote."

"Peyton!" Brooke threw one last pillow at her best friend, "You are such a pain in the ass sometimes!" Her cheeks began to burn and turn red.

Peyton laughed and made her way down the hall to Brooke's living room.

Nathan pulled Brooke into his arms and laughed, "Somebody is blushing pretty hard!"

Brooke buried her face into Nathan's muscular chest. "Don't look!" She laughed and pulled away from Nathan's chest, "Why did you come here anyways?"

Nathan squinted as he tried to think of the reason he'd come over to Brooke's home in the first place. It suddenly came back to him and he snapped his fingers together, "I wanted to let you know that it is official. I will be escorting Haley James to the prom next weekend thanks to you and your poor excuse for a lie."

"I told you I panicked!" Brooke pushed Nathan down onto the bed, "It won't be so bad! You liked Haley once so there has to be something there that is still fun that you can enjoy while you're at the prom with her."

"So who are you going with? Lucas?" Nathan pulled Brooke down onto his chest.

She took a deep breath and let it out, "I'd never thought I'd be saying this but I'm actually going to prom alone! Everyone has a date except me."

"Lucas hasn't asked you yet?" Nathan questioned.

"Nope!" Brooke turned over so she was lying on top of Nathan's chest, "Would you mind if he did?" She brushed her lips against his. "Would that just drive you crazy and make you super jealous?"

Nathan laughed, "Hell yeah I would get jealous!" He kissed Brooke softly on her lips, "I want to be the one taking you to prom. I want to be the one in the pictures you look back on in ten years when you're bored."

Brooke laughed and planted a gentle kiss upon his lips. "We can still take pictures together for us to look back on when we are old and grey haired grandparents!"

"Um Brooke!" Peyton called out to her best friend from the end of the hall. "Someone is at the door for you."

Brooke sighed heavily but remained lying against Nathan's chest. "Who is it?"

"It's Haley! Do you want me to send her around to the side door?" Peyton yelled up the hall.

Brooke and Nathan both shot up from their positions on the bed. Nathan slipped his shoes back on his feet and gathered up his book bag.

"No! I'll be right there." Brooke called out to Peyton as she watched Nathan gather his belongings.

"Well too late she is already walking around to the side door." Peyton called out.

"Damn it, Peyton!" Nathan said under his breath, "I swear she wants us to get caught." He kissed Brooke on the lips and ran for her front door.

Before Brooke could run after Nathan for another kiss a knocked sounded off on her side door. Brooke checked her appearance in her vanity's mirror, fixing her ruffled up hair and smeared make-up before going to the door.

Haley stood nervously on the opposite side, "Hey Brooke!"

"Hey tutor girl." Brooke stepped aside to let Haley into her bed room. "Don't be offended when I say you are the last person I expected to find on my door step."

Haley walked inside Brooke's bedroom, "No offense taken! You are the last person I thought I would be coming to thank."

"Thanking?" Brooke plopped herself down onto her round bed, "What are you thanking me for?"

Haley stood awkwardly in the middle of Brooke's bedroom while Brooke lied comfortably in her own bed.

"I wanted to thank you for getting Nathan to ask me out to prom!" Haley's face lite up at the memory of that afternoon. "Lucas told me everything!"

Brooke no longer felt comfortable with Haley being in her room, "You really don't have to thank me for this!"

Haley took a seat on the edge of Brooke's round bed. "I really do need to thank you and I think I owe you a bit of an apology."

Brooke frowned as she wondered what Haley would be apologizing for, "What did you do?"

"Nothing too horrible! I promise." Haley laughed softly as she inched closer to the brunette cheerleader, "I just wanted to apologize for thinking you were a selfish two-faced bitch who just slept around with every guy in the school."

Haley's word felt like a slap to the face, a slap that was still stinging Brooke's cheeks. "Ouch!" Brooke mumbled as an reaction to Haley's apology. "That really hurt Tutor Girl!" She held her cheek as if she had really been slapped.

"Finally made it up the damn hall!" Peyton panted in the doorway of Brooke's bedroom, "What I miss?" Peyton dropped her crutches and threw herself down onto Brooke's plush bed. "I am in no condition to break up a bitch fight so let's not go there today! Okay?"

Haley nudged the blond haired girl who was lying in between her and Brooke Davis, "I just came here to thank Brooke for getting Nathan to ask me to prom and to apologize for thinking so ill of her."

Peyton began to laugh but Brooke hit the girl with a pillow.

"What?" Haley asked, confused.

Peyton shook her head before she sat up in the bed, "You came to thank your boyfriend's ex-girlfriend for hooking you two up? I thanked Brooke for taking Nathan off my hands."

Brooke's held up her petite index finger up in the air, "For the record I did not take anything or anyone! You two were broken up and you gave me the go ahead to date him."

Haley and Peyton both shot Brooke a look that made the girl hide her red face in a pillow.

"The point is…" Peyton turned back to Haley, "It's a little messed up! You either did it because you don't know any better or because you wanted to rub it into Brooke's face, and you're a smart girl so I think it was to rub it in."

Haley nervously bit down on her lip, "You may be right about that!"

"Haley!" Brooke squealed as she popped up in her bed, "You came here to rub Nathan in my face? So uncalled for." She rolled her brown eyes. "Well congrats Tutor Girl! You have a date to prom and I don't!" Brooke stormed into her bathroom and slammed the door shut.

"Oh I didn't know!" Haley said to Peyton, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Peyton threw both hands up into the air, surrendering. "I thought she'd find a random hot guy at school to go with and just ditch him at the party."

Haley sighed and walked over to the door of Brooke's bathroom, "Brooke!" She gave the door a quiet knock. "Brooke! I'm sorry about rubbing me and Nathan in your face! I didn't know you…"

"Just go!" Brooke yelled out from the other side of the door.

"Brooke!" Peyton pleaded from the bed, "Come out."

"You can leave too." Brooke yelled out, "I just want to be by myself so both of you can just go…"

The two girls standing on the other side could hear the hurt in Brooke's usually solid voice. Each girl hesitated but left out of the side door, leaving Brooke locked in her bathroom alone.

The next morning Brooke parked away from Peyton who rode to school with Haley and Lucas. She still felt a little sting towards them about the whole prom situation. The only person she was willing to talk to was Nathan.

"Hey Nate." Brooke quietly approached the jock and his group of friends.

Nathan frowned and pulled Brooke into a hug, "You feel any better?"

"I am alone and no one wants me! Yup, I feel so much better." Brooke's frown deepened.

"Let's not forget how badly I want you," Nathan whispered into her ear.

Brooke couldn't help but smile at the handsome jock's words. "Thank you!" She kissed him on the cheek, "I'll let you get back to your loser friends."

Nathan laughed and playfully pushed Brooke, "Now there is the Brooke Davis I know and love!"

Brooke stopped walking and turned to face Nathan, "Love?"

"That just slipped out." Nathan said nervously as his cheeks turned a bright red.

Nathan's jock buddies all began to applaud and shout their praises out to their friend while Nathan and Brooke stood frozen. "Way to go man!"

"Hey Brooke!" Bevin came up to her cheer captain, "I was told to come retrieve you and take you away to your magic locker."

Brooke was forced to turn her attention away from Nathan and on to her friend, Bevin. "Who told you to come retrieve me?"

Bevin gave her shoulders a shrug, "Now I don't think I am supposed to tell you that. All I am supposed to tell you is that I left something in your locker and I need you to get it out for me right now!"

Brooke squinted, "But you didn't leave anything in my locker!"

"Just please play along!" Bevin pleaded with her friend. She held out her hand to Brooke and Brooke took it.

The two cheerleaders walked down the hallways hand in hand until they got to Brooke's locker.

"Okay, my part is done! I hope you enjoy your locker." Bevin pranced down the hallway.

Brooke was nervous about what awaited her in her locker so she took a deep breath before opening it. Inside her locker were pictures of her and Lucas taken from their dates, hanging from the roof of her locker were pink decorations, and on her mirror written in lipstick were the words 'Lucas and Brooke Forever.'

"You like it?" Lucas came up behind Brooke and smiled widely.

"You pimped out my locker?" Brooke squealed as she took in the beautiful sight of the decorated locker. "I love it!" She turned and took Lucas into a hug. "Thank you for this!"

Lucas laughed and held Brooke in his arms, "I'm glad you like it but I wanted to ask you something?"

_"Please be prom! Please be prom!"_ Brooke thought anxiously to herself. "What is it?" She managed to say calmly.

"Brooke Penelope Davis!" Lucas began, "Will you do me the honor of becoming my prom date?"

Brooke squealed and kissed Lucas, "Of course I will!"

Haley had pulled Nathan along to watch Lucas ask Brooke out to prom so he had been there watching the whole time. It hurt him to see Brooke kiss Lucas with such ease. It made all it real, Brooke didn't know who she wanted to be with and she didn't seem ready to make up her mind.

"How did you know that this is how I wanted to be asked to prom?" Brooke wrapped her arms around Lucas' neck.

Lucas laughed, "I overheard you telling Nathan yesterday so I came to school early with Peyton and Haley and they helped me out with it all. I'm no good with a glue gun!"

"Wait, Haley helped you out with this?" Brooke scanned the hallway and found Haley leaning into Nathan's arms. The sight stung Brooke's eyes but she forced a smile upon her thin pink lips.

"Yeah! She really wanted the surprise to be good enough for you." Lucas kissed Brooke. "So was it good enough for you Brooke?"

Brooke peeled her brown eyes off of Nathan and Haley, "Anything you do for me will always be good enough!"

"Have I told you how special I think you are?" Lucas brushed his nose against hers.

Brooke smiled and playfully brushed her brown curls from her shoulder, "I know! I know!" She laughed. "I'm pretty damn special." She gave herself a pat on the back. "But have I told you how special I think you are?"

Lucas shook his head, "Nope! Not lately."

"Well I think you're pretty damn special mister!" Brooke whispered against his lips, "And I feel pretty lucky to have you as my prom date."

Lucas playfully clutched his heart, "What are you doing to my heart Brooke Davis?"

Brooke laughed and placed her hands on his chest, _"Only breaking it."_ She thought to herself. Brooke could feel Nathan's eyes burning a hole into the side of her head.

The bell rang and snapped Brooke out of her thoughts and emotions. The whole group of friends had first period together so Brooke could not escape Nathan's stare or Haley's bright smile.

"We are going to try a little exercise." The teacher stepped forward, "We are going to try it both ways since I doubt any of your little teenage minds have matured past any of your feelings getting hurt in this first attempt."

Everyone in the class all began to look around at one another, wondering who would be the weak link.

"I will call on two people and I want them describe the other person in one word." The teacher sat down on the top of his wooden desk. "Doesn't sound to hard! Does it?"

Everyone sitting in the classroom shook their heads and this time as they looked around they wondered who they would be asked to describe.

"First I choose Peyton Sawyer and…" The teacher picked names from a wooden bowl, "Jake Jagielski."

Peyton looked up from her doodling on her notebook to find Jake staring at her from across the room with a warm smile stretched across his face.

"I see Peyton as deep." Jake answered first.

Peyton frowned as she tried to pick one word to describe her boyfriend, "Jake is talented."

"A little boring start but whatever!" The teacher pulled out two more names, "Haley James and Brooke Davis."

Brooke and Haley both locked eyes with one another. Haley was still wearing that bright smile from that morning after witnessing Brooke and Lucas' loving embrace.

"Brooke Davis in one word is strong." Haley said with nod.

Brooke scrambled her mind for one word to describe the girl she only knew as Tutor Girl. "Haley James is intelligent!"

"C'mon guys! Let's pick things up." The teacher said as she pulled out two more names. "Lucas and Nathan Scott."

Lucas turned to his brother, "Nathan is confident!"

Nathan couldn't help but roll his eyes at his brother's corny answer, "Lucas Scott is a bastard!"

Everyone in the entire room let out an audible gasp at Nathan's harsh answer but Nathan sat still in his seat wearing a smirk across his lips.

Nathan's words hurt Lucas' feelings so he got up and stormed out of the classroom.

"I got it!" Brooke stood up from her desk but she stopped at Nathan's desk, "What the hell is wrong with you? This isn't the boy I fell in love with." She whispered before disappearing behind the wooden door.

Nathan instantly felt overwhelmed with guilt after realizing how upset it made everyone around him, especially Brooke. He felt like an idiot for letting his brother get under his skin and he felt like he just lost Brooke to his brother, again.


	13. Chapter 13

"Shouldn't you be happy?" Peyton placed her chin on her friend's shoulder as they stood in the mirror together, "You actually have a date to prom now!"

Brooke was trying on a white lace gown to wear to their junior prom, "I am happy."

"I've seen more enthusiasm coming from a rock!" Peyton put a blue gown in front of the white gown Brooke had on her body. "Try this one on next."

Brooke sighed heavily and disappeared behind the white curtain separating her from the rest of the dressing room. "I don't know what is wrong with me." She slipped out of the white gown and stepped into the blue one, "I know I should be happy that Lucas asked me to prom but I can't get Nathan out of my mind."

"You're just torn between Nathan and Lucas!" Peyton sat down on a bench outside of Brooke's dressing room, "There is nothing wrong with you. I've been there done that!"

Brooke ripped open the white curtain to the dressing room, "How did you get through it?" She stepped out in the blue prom dress and examined her body in the mirror.

Peyton stood up and helped zip her friend into the gown, "I found Jake after Lucas so kindly reminded me that he wasn't the guy for me." She reminded Brooke of their first day of school.

Brooke frowned, "I wish one of them would just tell me that they didn't have feelings for me!" She twirled around in the mirror, "When Lucas broke up with me I fell back onto Nathan and I realized how much I really like him."

"How do you feel when you are with Lucas?" Peyton asked.

Brooke gave her shoulders a shrug, "I feel so safe when I'm with Lucas but I feel inferior to Lucas! I feel like I'm not smart enough to have a guy like him."

Peyton frowned, "How do you feel when you're with Nathan?"

"I feel like I can be myself!" Brooke sighed lightly, "I can be silly and afterwards he will tell me how cute I am not make fun of me or shoot me a crazy look. I feel like he loves me for me and he doesn't just like the idea of having me!"

"And you feel like Lucas likes the idea of you rather than you?" Peyton leaned against the wall.

Brooke looked down at her bare feet, "I'm confused with Lucas! Some days he can be so loving towards me but then there are days where we go without having a real conversation; where the most we say to one another is hey and bye!" She couldn't help but frown, "And that just pushes me more more towards Nathan!"

Peyton took her friend's hands into her own, "It sounds like you know who you want to be with but you're afraid to admit it to yourself because you don't want to hurt or lose the other."

"I don't want to lose him, Peyton!" Brooke gave Peyton's hands a gentle squeeze, "But I love Nathan so much."

Peyton smiled sadly, "As much as I want you to choose Lucas over Nathan…" She laughed, "I also want you to be happy and I'm sure Lucas will feel the same!"

Brooke took Peyton into a hug, "I love you !"

"I love you too !" Peyton smiled, "Just promise me you won't stand back and watch as Haley takes Nathan away from you."

Brooke pulled away from their embrace, "Oh I promise!" She placed her hands over her heart. "I'm gonna take my man back."

"I think Nathan would love the blue one!" Peyton turned Brooke back to the mirror, "You look great in this one."

Brooke squealed as she took in her reflection in the mirror, "The blue one it is then!"

She got changed back into her jeans and white tank top. She emerged from the dressing room with the dress in hand.

"You sure you didn't want to buy another dress for prom?" Brooke asked.

Peyton stood up from her place on the bench, "I have a dress that I know Jake is just going to die for."

Brooke and Peyton linked arms and walked out to pay for Brooke's prom dress. At the register was Haley James, Nathan's prom date.

"Tutor Girl?" Brooke stepped in line behind her.

Haley looked over her shoulder and saw Peyton and Brooke standing arm and arm behind her. "Hey Peyton and Brooke! Did you come here to buy your prom dresses?"

Peyton silently pointed over to her best friend.

"I did! I usually make my own dress but this year there was no time for that since prom is tomorrow." Brooke stepped up to the register as Haley moved out of the way. "We didn't get the same dress, did we?"

Haley shook her head, "I see your dress is blue and long but my dress is yellow and short so no worries there!"

"Oh good!" Brooke laughed with relief, "So you excited to go to prom?"

"I've never been to prom before so I'm looking forward to experiencing it for the first time!" Haley smiled widely, "If you would have asked me a year ago if I would be going to go to prom with Nathan Scott I would have laughed in your face."

Brooke turned to Haley as the young girl behind the counter rang up her dress, "You've never been to prom? Why not?"

Haley tilted her head to the side, "You already know! No upperclassman wanted to take me to their prom."

"You never thought about going with Lucas and just sneaking it?" Brooke placed her hands on her hips.

"I don't see Lucas in that way!" Haley's eyes dropped down to her dress bag.

Brooke rolled her brown eyes, "Yeah right! I saw the way you looked at Lucas when he first began to play for the Ravens!" She took her dress bag from the young cashier. "You either used to like him or you still do and just won't admit it."

Haley pretended to shutter at the idea of liking Lucas, "Okay! I used to like him back when we were in middle school and a little bit earlier in the year but now I don't like him!"

"What changed your mind?" Brooke swung her dress bag over her shoulder.

Haley shrugged, "Nathan!" She dropped her car keys and bent down to get them, revealing a back tattoo of the number twenty-three.

"Oh my god!" Peyton lifted Haley's sweater up over her back. "You didn't really get Nathan's jersey number on your back, did you?"

Haley pulled her sweater back down, "That is none of your business."

Brooke stared wide eyed at the short teenager standing in front of her, "You got his number tattooed onto your back?"

"Yeah! So what if I did?" Haley defended herself.

"What is gonna happen five years from now when you still have it on your back?" Peyton asked.

Haley brushed her fingers over the spot on her back that the small tattoo covered, "If five or ten years from now I look in the mirror and see this tattoo I will be happy because it will remind me of how I feel today!"

Brooke's mind and heart were racing as the image of the tattoo flashed through her mind, "You really love him?"

"I really do, Brooke!" Haley placed her hand over her heart, "When I'm not around him all I think about is him! I feel breathless when I look at him and that smile…" She closed her eyes to imagine Nathan's bright smile. "It makes my heart skip a beat."

Brooke's hand flew up to her mouth, "I think I'm going to be sick!"

Haley rolled her eyes, "Really funny Brooke!"

Brooke pushed her dress bag into Peyton's hands and she raced out of the store and down the mall's courtyard toward the nearest bathroom.

Haley and Peyton ran out of the store after Brooke and both girls watched as Brooke pushed open the bathroom door and disappeared behind it.

"You don't think it was something I said?" Haley asked.

"No!" Peyton and Haley walked into the mall's bathroom to find Brooke. Vomiting sounds came from the handicap stall. "Brooke!" Peyton kneeled down to find her friend's three inch heels on the floor of the bathroom. "You alright?"

"No!" Brooke managed to answer before she got sick again, "Remind me to never eat at the Chinese restaurant in the mall ever again." She pushed opened the door to the bathroom stall. She stumbled over to one of the sinks and splashed water onto her pale face.

"I hope you didn't just waste money on a dress to prom just to get sick the day before!" Haley watched Brooke move through the bathroom.

Brooke held up her index finger as she dried her face off with a paper towel, "I will be going to prom regardless!"

"One thing you will learn about Brooke…" Peyton turned to Haley, "She is one of the strongest girls you will ever meet. She once sprained her ankle at cheer camp but still won the tumbling competition."

Brooke gave herself a pat on the back, "I'm pretty damn awesome!" She threw away the paper towel and began to touch up her smeared make-up.

"I now understand what Lucas sees in you!" Haley said with a nod. "You seem pretty cool, Brooke. I'm sad we weren't friends sooner."

Brooke looked at Haley through the mirror, "Maybe we could have been friends if you weren't such a nerd!"

"Brooke!" Peyton squealed at her friend.

"What?" Brooke kept her eyes on her reflection in the mirror, "I call her Tutor Girl for a reason!"

"Well for the record my name is Haley!" Haley teased Brooke.

Brooke snapped closed her powder, "I prefer the name Tutor Girl!" She grabbed her dress bag from Peyton and walked out of the bathroom with Haley and Peyton following closely behind her.

"Well this is where I say goodbye." Haley smiled and walked out of the mall.

Peyton linked arms with Brooke, "You seem to really be warming up to Haley!"

"It kind of hard to hate her even though we both seem to love the same guy." Brooke walked through the mall with Peyton, "Liking her just makes it even harder for me to steal Nathan away from her."

"I am so glad that I'm not in your position right now!" Peyton teased Brooke.

Brooke ran the brush through Peyton's hair one more time before curling on last piece of hair. "Picture perfect!" She winked at her best friend through the mirror.

It was prom night and the girls were in Brooke's room getting dressed before their dates came to pick them up and take them to the dance.

"Do you think Jake will like it?" Peyton examined her hair full of curls.

"He better or I'm gonna kick his ass!" Brooke shooed Peyton from the vanity so she could fix her curls. "I know Luke is going to like my hair and dress like he always does."

Peyton pulled out a knee length green dress from a white dress bag. She slid into the dress and zipped herself up, "I hope I don't come off as Tinker Bell in this." She turned and examined herself in the vanity's mirror.

Brooke gasped at the sight of her friend, "You look beautiful !"

Peyton ran her fingers over the silky chiffon fabric of her dress. "I wanna see you in your dress so hurry up!" She took out Brooke's floor length blue gown and pushed it into her friend's arms.

"Hold your panties!" Brooke stood up from her vanity's cushion and took the dress from Peyton. "I better get nothing less than oohs and ahhs when I put on my dress." She said with a laugh as she slid the dress over her body.

"Ooh!" Peyton pretended to faint at the sight of her best friend in her prom dress, "How beautiful!"

Brooke laughed and hit her friend, "You're so weird Peyton!" She turned and examined herself in the mirror. "You like?"

"I do like!" Peyton smiled and stood behind her friend as they looked at one another through the mirror, "We look pretty damn good."

"As always!" Brooke held her fist out to Peyton.

Peyton hit her fist against Brooke's fist, "Buds over studs!"

"Hoes over bros!" Brooke smiled but the two girl's moment was interrupted as a knock sounded off on Brooke's side door. "Lucas doesn't understand the meaning of the phrase fashionably late." She opened the door and on the other side stood Jake and Lucas with flowers in their hands.

Peyton pulled her boyfriend into Brooke's bedroom and kissed him, "You got me flowers!"

Jake handed the colored daisies into Peyton's petite hands, "Thank Lucas for that! It was his idea."

As Lucas went in to kiss Brooke she pulled him into a hug.

"Nice touch with the flowers!" Brooke pulled the flowers from his hands, "Thanks!"

Lucas frowned as Brooke turned down his kiss but he accepted her hug, "My Uncle Keith taught me manners!"

Brooke kissed Lucas upon the cheek. "Well thank you Uncle Keith!" She blew a kiss up to the roof before lying her flowers from Lucas on her make-up vanity.

"You ladies ready to party?" Jake asked.

Peyton shook her head and placed her hand over her boyfriend's mouth, "Only old people ask that question!"

Brooke and Lucas laughed as they watched Jake and Peyton interact.

"Can we save Jake the embarrassment and just go?" Brooke suggested.

"Good idea!" Lucas held out his arm out to Brooke. "Shall we, pretty girl?"

Brooke took his arm in hers, "We shall handsome man!"

Brooke and Lucas walked out to the limo waiting outside of Brooke's large white home. Jake and Peyton followed suit.

"Nice call on the limo!" Jake called out.

"You really don't know how to party, do you?" Brooke teased him as she climbed into the limo after Lucas opened the door for her. "Don't worry! We'll teach you everything you need to learn tonight!"

"Oh that sounds dangerous!" Jake took his place in the limo next to his prom date.

Brooke smirked at the handsome guy, "A night spent with Brooke Davis is always dangerous."

Peyton and Brooke sang along to the radio as they rode to the prom. Lucas and Jake took pictures of their dates and the limo since it was the first time for either of them to ride in a limo.

"Finally!" Brooke stepped out of the limo once they got to the venue of prom, "Time to go party."

She was silenced when she saw Nathan walking around his father's black Range Rover to let Haley out of the passenger seat. Nathan took Haley by the hand and when he looked up from his hold on her hand he noticed Brooke staring at him. The sight of Brooke in her light blue prom dress took his breath away.

"You ready to go inside?" Lucas wrapped his arm around Brooke's waist.

Brooke peeled her eyes off away from Nathan but when she turned back to look at him again he had gone inside with Haley. "I'm ready if you are!" She took Lucas' hand into her own.

Peyton and Jake found the table before Brooke and Lucas.

"We're right here!" Peyton waved over her best friend.

"Front row seats to the dance floor! I'm impressed." Brooke sat her silver clutch on the surface of their table.

They all looked around the decorated gym. The theme to their prom was a night in Paris.

"May I have this dance?" Jake offered his hand to Peyton when the song Dance Again began to play.

Peyton frowned, "I don't like Jennifer Lopez's music but for you…" She took his hand and walked out onto the dance floor.

Brooke sat down at the table and watched Nathan and Haley from across the room.

"You want some punch before we get out there?" Lucas stood behind Brooke's chair.

Brooke kept her eyes on Nathan and Haley, "Yes please!"

Lucas left Brooke's side to retrieve punch for his date and himself. At a table near the punch bowl were his brother, Nathan, and his best friend, Haley.

"Hey guys!" He stopped by their table on his way to get the punch. "You look amazing, Hales!"

Haley stood up from her chair to hug her best friend, "You and Brooke look pretty amazing together."

Lucas laughed and glanced over at Brooke who was staring off on the dance floor, "I would believe you if she didn't look so bored and miserable!"

Haley nudged Lucas, "Maybe you should be over there talking to her or dancing rather than talking with us!"

Nathan was staring at Brooke. He was fighting back the urge to snatch her away from Lucas and make her his date instead. _"I would never leave a girl like that alone!" _He thought to himself.

"I guess you're right!" Lucas grabbed two cups of punch, "You two love birds have fun but not too much fun!" He winked over to a blushing Haley before walking back to his table.

"Thank you!" Brooke took the cup of punch from Lucas' hand, "I'm ready to dance now." She took a couple of sips before sitting the cup down on the table next to her clutch.

"That was fast!" Lucas sat down his cup of punch.

Brooke stood up from her chair and began to move her hips as she clapped her hands, "She won't ever get enough once she gets a little touch. If I had it my way you know that I could make her say…"

"Ooh!" Lucas finished the lyrics.

Brooke laughed and began to strut onto the dance floor; Lucas followed her onto the dance floor. Brooke turned on her heel to face her date. She moved her hips to the music as Lucas matched her movements. She blew him kisses as they danced together.

Haley pulled Nathan onto the dance floor as the song My First Kiss continued to play. Nathan watched Brooke blow his older brother kisses as they danced. Jealously surged through his body at the sight.

The song quickly switched to Teenage Dream and both Nathan and Brooke stood still. They managed to find each other's eyes. This was the song they had first made love to.

"You okay, Brooke?" Peyton danced her way over to her best friend.

Brooke peeled her eyes from Nathan's. "This is our song!" She whispered into Peyton's ear.

"Well go dance with him and push Haley towards Lucas!" Peyton danced back towards Jake.

Lucas took Brooke by her hand and twirled her around. Brooke took this chance to twirl over to Haley whom she took by the hand.

"Dance with me Tutor Girl!" Brooke twirled with Haley back towards Lucas.

Lucas stole Haley from Brooke so she made her way back over to Nathan.

"Wanna dance?" Brooke held her hand out to the handsome jock. "I know you want too!"

Nathan eyed Brooke's petite hand but he took it and they two began to slow dance to the pop song. "Don't you think it is odd that they played this song the moment we stepped out onto the dance floor?"

Brooke looked up at Nathan, "I think it is fate."

"That doesn't sound like a girl who wants to keep things private." Nathan twirled Brooke around but pulled her back to his chest.

"I think I was wrong about the whole private thing." Brooke admitted, "I was just too afraid to admit that I wanted to be with you and only you. I tried to like Lucas the way I like you but something is holding me back from doing that."

Nathan looked down at her brown eyes, "What made you want only me and not him?"

Brooke locked eyes with him and she held them there, "Because you smile at me when I'm being silly! You let me be myself." She bit down on her bottom lip, "Because I fight back the urge to kiss you every time I see you and because I love you Nathan Scott!

Brooke's words sent butterflies fluttering throughout his stomach. They continued to sway back and forth despite the fact that the song was now over.

Haley cleared her throat as she waited for Nathan and Brooke to pull apart. Brooke and Nathan were forced to break their eye contact.

"Oh sorry! I don't want to hog your prom date." Brooke hesitated but she dropped Nathan's hand, "Have fun!"

Lucas took Brooke's hand and led her back to their table.

"You seemed like you were having fun out there!" Lucas took a few swigs from his punch cup.

Brooke looked over her shoulder at Haley and Nathan, "Yeah I _was_."

"I love this song!" Lucas sat down his empty punch cup, "Wanna dance again?"

Brooke took his hand, "With you? Of course!"

The pair spent the rest of their time at the dance on the dance floor together. Occasionally Brooke would pull other people into their dance. By the end of the dance the pair got a dance in with all of their close friends.

"I am pooped!" Peyton climbed back into the limo. "I almost want to skip Nathan's after party at his father's beach house."

Brooke laughed and dabbed sweat from her forehead, "I am never too tired for a party!"

Once their limo pulled up to Nathan's beach house, they all climbed out. Brooke made her way up the stairs and lost Lucas among the crowd of people inside of the house.

"Finally alone?" Nathan whispered into Brooke's ear after finding her standing alone in the kitchen. "Drink?"

Brooke turned around to find Nathan holding two red Solo cups in his hand, "Thanks!" She took one of the cups from his hand but didn't take a sip.

"When are we going to talk about what you said at the dance?" Nathan leaned against the fridge.

Brooke nodded towards Haley, "When she stops following you around and watching us like a hawk." She laughed and left the kitchen to walk out onto the beach.

"Everything okay?" Nathan turned to Haley.

Haley crossed her arms over her chest, "Every time I leave your side I come back to find you standing with or staring at Brooke Davis!"

Nathan rolled his eyes, "So?"

"So?" Haley laughed with disbelief, "You like her still, don't you?"

Nathan gave his shoulders a shrug, "Yeah I do! I'm sorry but I do."

Haley felt tears beginning to sting the back of her eyes. "I just wish you would have told me this before you asked me to go to prom with you." She slammed her drink down on the counter and stormed out of the house.

"Haley!" Nathan sat down his drink and followed her out of the house. "Don't be like that!"

"Don't be like what?" Haley snapped at him, "Don't be pissed that the guy that I feel in love with was just stringing me along?"

Nathan felt as if someone hit him in his stomach, "Love?"

Haley wiped tears from her eyes with the back of her hand, "Yes Nathan! I am in love with you but what does that matter now?"

He reached out for her but she snatched her hand away and darted down the stairs.

"Where are you going? I am your ride home!" He called after her.

"I'd rather walk than have to sit in a car with you!" Haley disappeared into the darkness.

"I thought I'd find you here." Lucas sat down beside Brooke in the sand.

Brooke sighed and looked up from her full cup, "I just needed some fresh air and what is fresher than the beach?"

"Rough night? I know it had to be tough watching Nathan with Haley all night." Lucas looked over at Brooke.

She opened her mouth to say something but he interrupted her.

"I'm not stupid, Brooke." He looked out into the dark ocean, "I see the way you look at him whenever he is around. I saw the way you two danced together tonight. You danced like you didn't want to let go."

Brooke touched his arm, "I'm sorry Luke!"

"Sorry for what?" Lucas kept his eyes on the waves developing in the water in front of him, "You can't help who you like."

"I like you, Luke!" She looked down at her feet buried in the sand, "But I love him."

Nathan stood in the darkness listening to Lucas and Brooke's conversation.

Lucas stood up in the sand and dusted off his trousers, "I respect that Brooke!" He held his hand out for her to grab. "You should really tell him how you feel just like you just told me."

Brooke accepted his help to stand up. She dusted the sand from her gown and the two made their way towards the beach house but walked into Nathan, who had been hiding in the shadows.

"Nate?" Brooke held her chest, "You scared the shit out of me!"

Nathan laughed and stepped forward, "I'm sorry!"

Lucas gave his brother a pat on the back. "I'll leave you two alone." He raced up the stairs on the beach house and walked back inside of the large home.

Brooke turned to Nathan, "Now do you want to talk about what I said…"

Nathan took her face into his hand and kissed her lips, "I love you Brooke Davis! And I've waited a long to tell you that."

She smiled and kissed him, "I love you too Nathan Scott!"


	14. Chapter 14

"Oh I am excited!" Brooke squealed as she climbed out of her baby blue BMW. "Are you excited ?"

The girls were heading out of town with the basketball team and the rest of their cheerleading squad for the championship for the basketball team and Nationals competition for the cheerleading squad.

Peyton rolled her hazel eyes at her friend, "I would be excited if I knew we were going to win the championship!" She shut the door to the car with her hip. "But since I know that there is no chance in hell that we are going to win…"

Brooke began to boo her friend, "Boo! You, party pooper!"

Peyton playfully flipped her friend the finger. "Boo to you too!"

The two teenagers made their way through their high school's courtyard and toward the school buses that were going to transport them to their hotels.

"My day just got a whole lot better!" Nathan said with a wide grin as he took Brooke into his arms.

Brooke brushed her lips against her boyfriend's, "Our night is going to be a whole lot of fun!"

"Get a room!" Peyton pretended to gag at the sight of her best friend and ex-boyfriend together. "Oh hey Haley!"

Haley walked towards the line to the buses. "Hey guys!" She tried to remain cheerful about her break-up with Nathan but deep down inside she was trying to find ways to get him back and this was one way.

Brooke approached Haley about joining the cheerleading squad after one of Brooke's cheerleaders fell ill just days before they were supposed to leave for the nationals and Haley accepted after being convinced by Peyton.

"Hey Tutor Girl!" Brooke kept her hold on Nathan's Letterman jacket, "I'm glad you could make it. Thank you so much for stepping in for us." She blew the girl a kiss in the air.

Haley pretended to dodge the air kiss, "You should reserve those for Nathan!" She smiled and walked ahead of everyone to get onto the bus.

"You giving my kisses away?" Nathan leaned down and kissed Brooke. "You heard her! Reserve those things for me and me only."

Brooke smiled and wrapped her arms around Nathan's neck, "They are only for you!"

"Brooke Davis and Nathan Scott!" Whitey Durham yelled the couple's name out, "Get your butts on the bus."

"Next year…" She whispered to Nathan, "We are driving down to Charlotte!"

Brooke and Nathan made their way onto the yellow school bus and sitting in the first seat on the bus was Lucas Scott. Lucas had his head down as he did his homework in his lap. Brooke opened her mouth to say something but Nathan pulled Brooke towards the middle of the bus to the only empty seat left.

"You ready for this?" Nathan smiled down at Brooke.

Brooke draped her legs over his thighs and smiled, "I'm ready for tonight!"

Brooke fell asleep as soon as the bus hit the highway towards Charlotte, North Caroline where they would be staying in a hotel. Nathan remained awake as he struggled to complete his homework.

Haley noticed Nathan's furrowed brow as he tried to complete his math homework, "Need some help?" She leaned across the aisle towards him.

"What?" Nathan pulled his attention off of the difficult homework, "Oh no thanks! I'm okay."

Haley laughed and rolled her eyes before she pulled the binder out of his lap, "You look like you are ready to bust the vein in your forehead." She scanned over the homework, "We studied this Nate!" She turned to him. "You sure you don't want my help?"

Nathan looked down at a sleeping Brooke then back to Haley, "Okay! I admit I do need your help."

Haley felt butterflies form in the pit of her stomach. "Let's start with this one…"

She tutored Nathan during the entire three hour bus ride to the hotel. By the time the bus pulled into the parking lot of the hotel, Nathan had all of his school work done with Haley's help.

"Thank you Hales!" Nathan smiled but turned to his sleeping girlfriend, "Brooke! We're here so you have to wake up." He trailed his lips along her neck to wake her up.

"Mm!" Brooke slowly began to rise from her sleep. "Do that again!" She whispered to Nathan as she pulled him closer to her.

Nathan laughed and fought the urge to pounce onto his sleepy girlfriend. "Brooke, we have to get off the bus first!"

Brooke shot up in her seat and noticed the empty bus, "We're here?" She squealed and jumped out of the cushioned bus seat, "May the fun begin." She grabbed Nathan's hand and raced off of the bus with him.

Peyton was standing with Lucas and Haley outside of the bus. The trio were waiting for Brooke and Nathan.

"There you are!" Peyton pulled Brooke away from Nathan's hold on her hand, "We have our first practice in like ten minutes."

Brooke's brown eyes widened as she remembered the practice for nationals. "Let's go!" She turned and kissed Nathan upon the lips, "I'll see you later. Bye Luke! Let's go Tutor Girl!" She strutted inside of the hotel towards the space where their practice was being held.

"We found her!" Peyton said to the rest of the cheerleading squad who let out a sigh of relief in unison.

Brooke clapped her petite hands together, "Take your places! We need to blow these bitches out of the water."

"Oh it's so cute how she thinks she has a chance to win." One of the girls from the opposing cheerleading squads spoke about Brooke loudly as she walked through the empty dining hall that had been transformed into a practice space for the cheerleading squad.

Brooke turned on the heel of her tennis shoe, "Girls isn't it cute how she thinks she can intimidate us!" She put her hands on her curvy hips. "Too bad it isn't going to work! Now get out of our practice space or get your asses kicked!"

Peyton jumped down from the stage and took her spot next to her best friend. "You heard her! Get out or let me remove your skinny asses. I prefer the remove you part but I don't think you would like it as much."

The girl on the opposing team looked back at her cheerleading squad and let the practice space in the hotel. Brooke turned to Peyton and the two girls high-fived one another.

"Now let's get back to work!" Brooke turned her attention back on her squad. She saw the frowns on the faces of her cheerleaders. "Don't let that bitch get to you. We are gonna win this thing!"

"Brooke, are you sure I'm doing okay?" Haley jumped off the stage after practice.

Brooke looked up from packing away her pompoms, "Tutor Girl! You are picking up the dance faster and better than half of the girls on the squad. You should've tried out for the squad a lot sooner!"

Haley frowned and swung her gym bag over her shoulder, "I didn't think cheerleading was my thing. I prefer tutoring people!"

"So what made you want to help us out?" Brooke stopped packing away her belongings and she stood in front of Haley with her hands on her hips. She was convinced Haley had joined the squad to get back with Nathan.

"I consider you and Peyton my friends." Haley answered. "I had to help my friends!"

Brooke's heart melted at Haley's answer. She wrapped her arms around her, "You think we are friends?"

Haley laughed, "I was hoping we could still be friends even after the whole Nathan thing."

Brooke pulled away from her hug with Haley. "One thing you are going to learn about my friendships is that there is always one clause!"

"Oh goodness." Haley sighed lightly, "What do I have to do?"

"You just have to promise to put your bros over your hoes!" Brooke held her fist out towards her new friend, "In this case Nathan is my hoe and you are my bro so…"

Haley hesitated but hit her fist against Brooke's fist. "Bros over hoes?"

Brooke squealed as she bumped fist with Haley, "Bros over hoes!" She linked arms with Haley and the two girls walked towards their hotel rooms. "I can already tell that this is the start of a beautiful relationship."

"This is my room!" Haley stopped at the door to room 105.

Brooke looked across the hall at her room, "This is my room! I promise not to make a bunch of noise tonight." She winked.

"Huh?" Haley furrowed her brow but her confusion was soon put to rest as Nathan stuck his head out of the hotel room.

"I knew I heard your voice!" Nathan pulled his girlfriend into the hotel room, "Get in here."

Brooke squealed as her boyfriend pulled her by her hand into the small hotel room. "So impatient!" She dropped her gym bag and pushed Nathan back onto the bed.

"And you call me impatient?" Nathan laughed as he was pushed back on the stiff hotel bed. "Yeah right!"

Brooke laughed and climbed on top of Nathan, "I've been waiting for this all day! You've been holding out on me since prom." She kissed him on his lips.

Nathan rolled over and pulled Brooke underneath him, "I wanted to make sure we had more than just a lustful connection."

Brooke's smile quickly turned to a frown, "Get off me!" She tried to push Nathan off of her but his stance over her didn't budge.

"What's wrong?" Nathan pulled himself off and plopped himself down onto the bed.

Brooke rolled off of the bed and landed on her knees. She crawled her way into the bathroom and towards the toilet where she got sick.

The sounds of vomiting forced Nathan off of the bed and into the bathroom. The smell almost knocked him over but he held his breath, "You okay?" He pulled Brooke's curls back and held her hair in his hand.

"No!" She groaned before getting sick again, "I feel like crap." She reached up and weakly flushed the toilet.

"Was it something you ate?" Nathan pulled Brooke up from the floor of the bathroom and placed her back into their bed. He disappeared into the bathroom and came back with a warm rag. "This should help!" He placed it over her forehead.

Brooke frowned, "I can't afford to get sick! I have to win the nationals no matter what and I can't miss the game either!"

Nathan couldn't help but laugh at Brooke's adorable frown. "Everything will be alright! It's probably just your nerves. You said you got sick before prom, remember? But in the end you felt better!"

"Ugh, stupid nerves!" Brooke mumbled as she held the hot rag onto her forehead.

A knock sounded off on the opposite side of the door.

"Oh my word! We have a door that leads to another hotel room?" Brooke squealed. "Please tell me that, that door leads to another closet!"

Nathan laughed and opened the door. On the opposite side of the door stood his older brother, Lucas.

"Hey man." Lucas stepped into the room, unaware that Brooke was lying on the bed.

Nathan tried to block Lucas from seeing Brooke with his body but Lucas' eyes already fell upon the sick cheerleader. "Were we being too loud?"

"No I just wanted to see who I was rooming next too. I figured it would be you since we have the same last name and all!" Lucas kept his eyes glued on his ex-girlfriend, "She okay?"

"I'm fine!" Brooke answered Lucas despite him not asking her. "I just got a little sick."

"Again?" Lucas frowned as he fought the urge to go sit down next to her on the bed. He knew things between him and Brooke were not over but he wanted to give Brooke space so she could figure out how she really felt.

Nathan took his place back on the bed next to his girlfriend, "She is going to be fine!" He leaned down and kissed the rag that was resting on Brooke's forehead. "She is the strongest person I know."

Lucas gave his head a single nod, "That's good!" He turned his attention to his brother. "Whitey wants us over at the stadium in twenty minutes. He wants to talk to all of us together."

Nathan sighed heavily and looked down at Brooke, "I'll be back soon."

Brooke smiled and caressed his cheek. "Go! Have fun and I'll just go to sleep or soak in the jacuzzi."

"Whitey banned us all from the pool area!" Lucas reminded her.

She laughed and shrugged her shoulders, "So? Since when have I ever let rules stop me from doing anything that I want to do?"

Nathan kissed her upon her lips, "Just don't get in trouble." He slipped his feet back into his sneakers. "Let's go!" He gave his brother a pat on the shoulder.

"I hope you feel better Brooke." Lucas turned and left the bedroom with his brother in tow.

Once the boys were out of sight, Brooke tossed the wet rag from her forehead. She wanted to vent to her best friend so she ran out of the room and down a few doors down towards Peyton's room.

" ! Open the door." Brooke knocked frantically on the wooden hotel room door.

Peyton was on the other side of the door with her boyfriend, Jake Jagielski. The couple were trying to be quiet so Brooke would not notice that they were there so neither of them would have to climb out of the bed.

"I was supposed to room with you in this room so don't think I don't still have my key because I do!" Brooke pulled the hotel room's key out of her bag but before she could insert in into the lock the door opened.

"What is it Brooke?" Peyton poked her head out of the door.

Brooke pushed the door opened and made her way into the room. "I just had the most awkward run in with Lucas!"

Jake had gone under the cover to hide from Brooke to prevent anyone from getting embarrassed but he found it hard to breathe under the thick covers so he pulled himself up right in the bed. "Hey Brooke!" He mumbled.

Brooke squealed as she closed her eyes shut, "Oh my word!" She covered her eyes with her hand but peeked through a crack in her finger so she could find her way back to the door. "Ugh, sorry I interrupted your love making. Use a Condom!"

Peyton opened her mouth to stop Brooke from leaving but she couldn't do anything but laugh at her friend's reaction.

Brooke found herself at Haley's hotel room door. She hesitated to knock on the door, _"This is the last person I should be talking to about Lucas and Nathan!" _She thought to herself.

"Brooke?" Haley walked up behind her cheer captain, "Where you looking for me?" She fumbled in her worn out faux leather purse for her room key. "I was just checking out the pool with Karen."

Brooke removed her fist off of the door to Haley's room, "I just needed someone to talk to and Peyton is in bed with her sweet little boyfriend, Jake!"

"Well come in." Haley unlocked the door and stepped aside for Brooke to walk in first. "What's wrong?"

Brooke took a deep breath and sat down on the edge of the bed, "I don't know if I should be talking to you about this…"

"This must be about Nathan?" Haley took a seat on the bed next to Brooke. "We can still talk about him! I am not upset with you for having feelings for him."

"You are so much better than me!" Brooke pouted, "I would hate me if I were in your shoes."

Haley laughed, "I was tempted to hate you but I can't hate you just because Nathan has stronger feelings for you than he does for me."

Brooke's hand flew up to her stomach and her other hand covered her mouth.

"Are you about to get sick again? Or are you about to cry?" Haley hesitated to get off of the bed.

Brooke shook her head violently and swallowed hard, "I was about to get sick…" She flew forward off of the bed and crawled over to the nearest waste basket where she threw up again.

"You're still getting sick? Brooke, you need to get that checked out!" Haley pulled Brooke's brown hair back into a ponytail and held it there with a hair tie.

Brooke sat down on the floor after she finished throwing up, "I am fine. I think I've just been a nervous wreck about the whole winning nationals thing!"

Haley sat down on the floor across from Brooke. "This isn't just nerves Brooke! You don't throw up this much from being nervous."

Brooke rolled her eyes and wiped sweat from her forehead with the sleeve of her sweater. "Then what else explains this?" She nodded toward the waste basket that was filled with vomit.

"Are you pregnant?" Haley questioned as she moved her hands towards Brooke stomach.

Brooke hit Haley's hands away from her flat stomach, "I am not pregnant Haley!"

"Wow! You actually called me by my first name!" Haley smiled and placed her hand over Brooke's stomach, "Are you sure you aren't pregnant? When was your last period?"

Brooke bit down on her lip as she tried to count on her fingers the weeks it had been since her last period. "It has been…" She recounted twice before holding up the number six on her fingers, "Six weeks since my last period!"

"Two weeks late…" Haley mumbled.


	15. Chapter 15

"Brooke!" Haley called after the brunette cheerleader.

Brooke Davis was standing with her cheerleading squad in the hotel lobby with a bottle of water clutched tightly in her petite hand. She'd taken four pregnancy tests with Haley and all four tests came back positive within seconds of her taking them.

There was no doubt she was pregnant but Brooke refused to go to the clinic that was just down the street from the hotel they were staying in.

"Brooke Davis!" Haley called her name again.

Brooke turned on her heel, "What is it Tutor Girl?"

Haley had a pill sitting in the palm of her hand, "You forgot to take your prenatal…"

She had gone to the nearby drug store to retrieve a bottle of prenatal vitamins for Brooke to take with her lunch.

Brooke covered Haley's mouth with her hand. "Can you have any bigger of a mouth?"

"But you need to take it!" Haley pleaded with her friend. "Please?"

Brooke snatched the pill from Haley's palm and quickly popped it into her mouth before anyone could see her. She guzzled down water with the pill and smiled, "You happy now?"

Haley smiled widely, "I am!"

"Sorry I'm late!" Peyton bounced over to her two friends, Haley and Brooke. "What did I miss?"

Haley smirked and looked at Brooke, who shook her head and made a zipping motion across her thin lips.

"You missed us all going out for lunch but I'm sure you had more fun banging Jake Jagielski in your bedroom!" Brooke said with a laugh.

"Brooke!" Peyton squealed loudly.

"What?" Brooke shrugged her shoulders and turned her attention to the rest of her cheerleading squad. "I want you ladies to meet up back here in half an hour. No exceptions or excuses will be accepted!"

The cheerleaders all groaned in unison before breaking apart and all walking off in different directions towards their hotel rooms.

"Aw man! We are gonna beat those suckers." Tim's voice rang out through the lobby of the hotel.

Brooke, Peyton, and Haley all turned their attention onto the basketball team that had just arrived back at the hotel after their practice at the stadium.

Brooke's eyes remained glued on Nathan and Lucas as the two brothers walked through the lobby together, neither of them noticed her standing off in the corner with Haley and Peyton. Instinctively, Brooke ran her fingers over her flat stomach, she honestly had no clue who the father of her unborn child was.

"Earth to Brooke Davis!" Haley was snapping her fingers in Brooke's pale pink face. "Hello?"

Brooke shook her head, "What?"

"You're looking kind of pale, Brooke." Peyton touched her friend's forehead with the back of her hand, "You okay?"

Brooke pushed away Peyton's hand, "I'm fine!"

"When are you going to tell her?" Haley's hands found their way onto her hips. "She is your best friend and she will find out sooner or later."

Peyton looked back and forth between Haley and Brooke. "What don't I know?"

"Brooke?" Haley nudged the pale girl in her arm.

Brooke stomped her foot at Haley's pushy behavior. "I'm pregnant, okay!" She peeled her burning eyes from Haley's face and turned her attention onto Peyton, "I'm pregnant and I don't know who the father is! All I know is that I'm having a baby and its last name will be Scott."

Peyton stood frozen with her mouth dropped open, "You're pregnant?" She mumbled. "How did this happen?"

"Well when two people love each other…" Haley said sarcastically.

Peyton hit Haley in the arm and smiled, "I know how! I just don't know how it happened!" She shook her head slowly. "You were just telling me to use a condom with Jake!"

Brooke felt tears begin to sting the back of her eyes. "I don't know! I'm just so stupid when it comes to Nathan and Lucas!"

"No please don't cry!" Peyton pulled Brooke into a hug, "Everything is going to be okay."

Haley suddenly felt bad for Brooke; she no longer saw the situation as ironic or funny.

"Peyton is right. Everything will be alright!" Haley rubbed Brooke's back. "We're here for you!"

"There you are!" Nathan had been looking for Brooke for several minutes and he finally found her huddled in the corner of the hotel's lobby with Haley and Peyton. "What's wrong?"

"She is just nervous about tomorrow!" Peyton covered for Brooke. "The captain of the Red Devils has been coming around threatening her."

Nathan pulled Brooke away from Peyton and Haley, "Brooke! Everything is going to be fine. You're going to blow that chick and her squad out of the water." He held her against his chest. "You are one of the best cheerleaders I've ever seen!"

Brooke remained quiet as she buried her wet face into Nathan's red tank top. She nodded her head as he tried to calm her down. She knew if she were to speak one word it would reveal so much more about what she was going through.

"You want to go back to the room and pig out on ice cream?" Nathan offered.

Peyton stepped forward and grabbed Brooke by the hand, "We actually have practice in like five minutes! We need her here with us."

Nathan's hands flew up into the air, "She is all yours! But I'm coming to steal her as soon as practice comes to an end." He kissed Brooke's forehead before walking down the hall towards their hotel room.

Brooke's tears came back to her eyes once Nathan was out of her sight. "What am I going to do?"

Peyton and Haley both gathered around Brooke again so no one could see that she was crying.

"I have to tell him but how am I supposed to tell him?" Brooke cried out. "Nathan, guess what? I'm pregnant oh but wait I don't know if the baby is yours or your brother's because I'm a big fat slut who slept with you the both of you just two days apart!" She plopped down on the couch in the lobby.

Peyton plopped down beside her best friend, "You are not a slut! You were just confused and you weren't sure who you wanted to be with it at the time."

"I used to make fun of girls like me!" Brooke took a deep breath as she wiped away her tears with the sleeve of her sweater.

Haley sat down on the other side of Brooke, "Girls like what? Amazingly strong and talented? A good dancer?"

"Let's not forget about how great you are at being Brooke Davis!" Peyton added with a laugh.

Haley and Peyton were trying to cheer up their friend before any of the cheerleaders came out to retrieve their captain for the practice that they were already five minutes late for.

"I am pretty amazing, aren't I?" Brooke laughed and pulled herself off of the couch. "I'm pretty damn amazing."

Peyton and Haley both nodded in agreement.

"And your fetus is pretty amazing too." Peyton added.

"What?" Haley frowned at Peyton's compliment.

Brooke laughed, "Okay , you are just plain weird!"

"I was just trying to make you feel better." Peyton got up from her position on the plush couch. "Did it at least work? I see you smiling!"

Brooke sighed lightly and draped her arm around Peyton's waist, "It did work! I have some pretty amazing best friends." She pulled Haley up from the couch and gave her hand a squeeze.

"We love you Brooke!" Peyton planted a kiss upon her friend's pink cheek. "We're gonna be here for you and the baby."

"That is, if you decide to keep it." Haley added with a nod of her head.

"Haley!" Peyton squealed.

"What?" Haley shrugged her shoulders. "She could get an abortion and never have to tell Nathan or Lucas about this."

Haley's words rang in Brooke's ears. "Abortion?" Brooke had been a big supporter of abortion but now that it was an option that was being presented to her, she didn't know if she could actually go through with it.

"Can we get practice over with already?" Bevin spilled out of the practice space and towards her cheer captain. "We've been waiting forever for you to show up!"

_"Saved by the dumb blond!"_ Brooke thought to herself. "I'm sorry. Let's get going!"

Brooke stepped away from Peyton and Haley and walked into the make shift practice space.

She clapped her hands together once and stood in front of the small stage that the cheerleaders had lined up on. "Let's run through the dance twice in a row to see who has been practicing and who hasn't." She nodded towards Mouth McFadden, who was controlling the small stereo. "Hit it!"

Mouth pressed the play button on the stereo.

"Ladies!" Brooke began to clap slowly after the cheerleaders finished dancing. She'd stepped out of line after the first go round of the routine because she couldn't catch her breath. "That was amazing!"

Bevin stepped forward, "Well at least we looked amazing."

"What does that mean?" Brooke walked onto the stage and stood with her hands on her hips in front of Bevin. She was afraid that her pregnancy was already affecting her cheerleading.

"You dropped out of the routine halfway through the second run!" Bevin squealed.

Brooke rolled her brown eyes, "How else am I supposed to watch to see who has the dance down or not?"

"Oh." Bevin took a step back and got back into her position.

"She is such an idiot!" Brooke mouthed to Peyton.

Peyton snickered but covered her mouth when the rest of the squad shot her a look.

"Practice is over! Get plenty of sleep because tomorrow afternoon is when we hit the real stage." Brooke waved her hand in the air. "You're dismissed."

All of the girls began to file out of the double doors to the empty dining hall.

"I thought she was going to out me for being a little out of breath!" Brooke let out a sigh of relief.

"So did I!" Peyton smiled and linked arms with her best friend, "Let's go get some pizza and discuss these crazy boys!"

"Not so fast." Nathan walked into the practice space, "I told you I'd be here after your practice to steal away my girlfriend. You've had her all day and now I want some time with her!"

Peyton hit her ex-boyfriend in the stomach. "She isn't a toy or belonging, Nathan!"

"I never said she was." Nathan held out his hand to his girlfriend, "You ready to go? I got the pizza already sitting out in the room."

Brooke kept her hold on Peyton's arm. "Can they come too? Please! Just so they can share the pizza."

Nathan pretended to pout. "But why?"

"I don't have to come!" Haley was racking her brain for any excuse to get out of the situation. "I promised Karen that I'd hang out with her tonight. Bye!" She disappeared behind the double doors before anyone could call her bluff.

"I guess it is just us three then!" Peyton smiled widely, "Don't get any freaky ideas!"

Brooke laughed and grabbed hold of Nathan's large hand. "My two favorite people!"

"Are we going to tell him tonight?" Peyton whispered into Brooke's ear as Nathan unlocked the hotel room door.

Brooke nodded once, "We have to." She mouthed to Peyton.

"Alright!" Nathan finally found the key to the room in his pocket and he unlocked the door, "Ladies first." He stepped aside to let Brooke and Peyton into the room.

"Such a gentleman." Brooke kissed her boyfriend on the lips before pulling Peyton inside of the hotel room. "I could smell the pizza from the hallway."

"Really?" Nathan kicked off his sneakers, "I couldn't! You must really be hungry."

Brooke bit down on her lip. "Oops!" She mouthed to Peyton who laughed quietly.

The two girls grabbed a plate full of cheese pizza slices before spreading out on the large bed.

Nathan took a look at Brooke's four slices of pizza, "I thought you said you could not eat more than two without getting full?"

"Nathan, leave her alone! She is hungry." Peyton hit the jock with a pillow.

"You know what…" Brooke sat down the slice of pizza she had been nibbling on. "Let's just tell him now!"

Nathan frowned, "Tell me what?"

Brooke took a deep breath and let it out, "I'm..."

"Hey man!" Lucas spilled into the hotel room but he stood frozen when he noticed Peyton and Brooke sitting on the bed while Nathan sat on the floor.

"What is it?" Nathan asked his older brother.

Lucas scanned the faces of Brooke and Peyton, finding tension in both of their faces. "I smelled the pizza from my room!"

Nathan laughed, "Help yourself!"

"You sure?" Lucas looked at Brooke and Peyton again.

"Luke, you can have some pizza." Brooke blew her bangs from her eyes. _"Great timing!"_ She thought to herself as she began to sip on her bottled water.

Nathan turned his attention back on Brooke, "So what were you trying to tell me?"

Lucas took a seat on the floor next to Nathan. "I knew I was interrupting something!"

"Well what I have to tell Nathan I also have to tell you too, Lucas." Brooke's hands began to shake.

"What? You're still in love with the both of us?" Nathan asked with a laugh, "That was a joke by the way!" He said when no one else laughed with him.

Lucas nudged his brother in his side, "Too soon man."

Brooke remained silent on the bed as Peyton tried to calm her down by rubbing her back.

"Brooke, what's wrong?" Nathan asked. "I didn't mean it! I'm sorry if my joke hurt your feelings."

"The world does not revolve around you, Nathan Scott!" Peyton snapped.

Nathan frowned and sat down his pizza, "Whoa! What did I do to you Peyton?"

"You didn't wear a condom." Peyton snapped.

Lucas almost choked on the pizza he had been chewing on. "What?"

"You too!" Peyton turned her anger on Lucas.

"What does our sex lives have to do with you, Peyton?" Lucas asked.

Brooke had been trying to work up the courage to say that she was pregnant but she couldn't get the words past the lump that had been forming in the middle of her throat.

"I'm pregnant!" Brooke shouted before jumping off of the bed and locking herself in the tiny bathroom.

"What?" Both Nathan and Lucas yelled out in unison.

Peyton scooted to the edge of the bed and leaned down into the brothers' faces. "She is very pregnant and by one of you!"

"She doesn't know who the father is?" Nathan questioned.

"Unfortunately this all happened when she couldn't decide between the two of you." Peyton pushed past Nathan and Lucas and she made her way over to the bathroom door. "Brooke, open the door!"

Brooke was sitting on the sink next to the bathroom door, "Are they gone?"

"We aren't leaving until we talk about this." Lucas pulled himself up from the floor and joined Peyton at the door. "We have a lot to talk about."

"I never wanted any of this to happen." Brooke said from the other side of the door.

Nathan remained on the floor of the hotel room, "Brooke! Come out of the bathroom right now."

Brooke obeyed Nathan and slowly pulled opened the door.

"Lucas is right. We have a lot to talk about and none of that is going to get done with you hiding out in the bathroom." Nathan stood up and pointed to the bed. "Sit down."

Brooke remained silent as she made her way over to the bed where she took a seat.

"How is it that you don't know who the father is?" Nathan kneeled down in front of Brooke.

She looked down at her shaking fingers, "It was before you elbowed Lucas in the nose at the River Court. I was with Lucas and we had sex two days before and then that night Lucas broke up with me…"

Lucas stood frozen as he listened to Brooke. "You slept with him that night?"

Brooke peeled her eyes off of her hands, "We were broken up."

"For a few hours…" Lucas laughed in disbelief, "If that!"

Peyton grabbed him roughly by his jacket's sleeve, "That is not important right now! What is important is the fact that is she carrying a baby that could be yours."

Nathan wrapped his face with his hand. "I can't believe this is happening right now!"

"You two are really selfish!" Peyton snapped, "Brooke has to go through this has much or even more than the two of you!"

"Peyton…" Brooke grabbed her friend's hand.

Peyton sat down on the bed next to Brooke. "And to think I wanted to be with the both of you at one point…"

"I can't do this…" Lucas began to back away towards his room. "Not right now!"

"Can you believe him?" Peyton shook her head.

Nathan snapped out of his frozen stance in front of Brooke. "Actually I can believe him! You throw this big news at us the day before the championship? You know how important this day is to us. This is totally going to through us off our game!"

Peyton shot up from the bed, "Get out!"

"This is my room, Peyton." Nathan did not budge.

"We can just go back to staying in our original room." Brooke finally spoke up.

Peyton nodded and reached for Brooke's bags. "Let's go!"

Brooke got up from the bed and walked down the hall to her original hotel room with Peyton following closely behind.

"How could things get so messed up?" Brooke asked.

Peyton dropped Brooke's bags down onto the second bed in the room. "You know that old saying 'like father like son?'"


	16. Chapter 16

"Ugh, you mean they both acted like big fat jerks?" Haley asked.

She was sitting in the middle of Peyton's bed while Peyton sat across from her with a bowl of ice cream sitting between both of the cheerleaders.

"Yeah! I wish I would have foreseen them both turning into their father, Dan Scott." Brooke called out.

Brooke stood in the bathroom applying make-up to her pale face. It was the day of Nationals and she was already getting sick. The vomiting was affecting her skin tone and she wanted to look perfect for the judges.

"So what are you going to do if neither one of them steps up and takes responsibility?" Haley asked Brooke.

Brooke emerged from the bathroom fully done up. Her bangs were straightened and sat on her forehead while her hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail at the top of her head. Her false eyelashes were glued perfectly in place as well as her foundation and blush.

"I plan on not including them in my decision making, period. They both proved to be last night that they cannot handle this situation so I won't force them to handle anything." Brooke plopped down onto the bed.

"Be careful, Brooke!" Peyton gasped at Brooke's rough fall onto the bed.

Brooke looked down at her flat stomach. "It's fine!" She said referring to the fetus that was growing inside of her stomach.

"You do need to start being careful." Haley said with a nod. "Since you've decided not to abort the baby you actually have to take care of your body now."

Brooke sat up on her elbows. "I've been taking my prenatal vitamins if that's what you mean and my body looks great so I'm doing something right!"

"I've been down her throat about eating right." Peyton informed Haley. "My niece or nephew has to come out strong and healthy."

Brooke rolled her chocolate brown eyes. "She is gonna reveal my pregnancy before I will even get a chance too! Everyone is going to know something is up if they keep seeing Peyton scold me about everytime we are around food."

"Or they'll just think you have an eating disorder and that Peyton is trying to help you recover from it." Haley shrugged her shoulders.

"Why couldn't I just have the eating disorder?" Brooke groaned. "It would be much easier."

"You don't want the baby?" Haley asked.

Brooke sat up straight in her bed. "I'm seventeen years old and a junior in high school. Of course I don't want a child right now but then I think about aborting it or giving it up for adoption and I knew I could never do either of those things. I'm already starting to fall in love with this thing that is growing inside of me."

"It's a baby, Brooke!" Peyton teased. "Say it with me…b-a-b-y!"

Brooke grabbed a pillow and reached across Haley to hit Peyton with the pillow. "It's called be quiet Peyton!"

Peyton fell from the bed but as Haley and Brooke gasped at the loud fall, Peyton only laugh it off.

"Is everything okay?" Karen Scott, Lucas' mother, raced inside of the hotel room. She was on the trip as a late minute chaperon.

Peyton looked up at Karen through her blond curls. "I just had a clumsy moment and fell off of the bed! I'm okay though."

Karen took a deep breath. "It sounded like a two hundred pound man fell down in here!" She offered Peyton her hand.

Peyton accepted Karen's help to get off of the dirty hotel room floor. She dusted off her cheer sweats and hands. "I'll try and be more careful next time!" She shot Brooke a look.

"So you ladies ready for Nationals? The buses just pulled up." Karen said. "I was sent to retrieve you three so you can all get going."

Brooke, Haley, and Peyton all gathered their cheer bags. They walked out to the hotel lobby where Nathan and Lucas sat together to cheer on the ladies at their competition.

"There she is." Brooke heard Nathan say to Lucas as the two boys stood up from their sitting positions on one of the lobby's couches.

Peyton took Brooke into her arms and shielded her from the boys' intense stares.

"Thanks P. Sawyer!" Brooke stood up straight once they were outside of the hotel.

Peyton winked at her best friend. "Anything for the woman who is carrying my niece or nephew!"

Brooke took a deep breath and entered the yellow school bus. "Okay, ladies we can do this! No nerves and no hesitation." She slid into the first seat on the bus and Peyton sat down beside her.

"You seem nervous." Peyton whispered to Brooke.

"Hell yeah I'm nervous!" Brooke laughed. "I'm nervous I'm going to barf half way during the tik-tok section."

"Brooke?" Nathan climbed onto the bus with Lucas in tow.

Brooke looked up and held her breath as she came face to face with her boyfriend for the first time since she told him that she was pregnant with a child that might not be his.

"What do you want Nathan?" Peyton snapped at the jock.

"I just wanted to talk to Brooke about last night!" Nathan explained.

Peyton laughed in disbelief. "Didn't you tell her it was wrong of her to tell you what she did the day before you played the championship?"

Nathan bit down on his bottom lip but nodded.

"Then do not do the same thing to us!" Peyton glared at him. "You're dismissed, Nathan Scott!" She pushed him away from Brooke.

Brooke watched silently from her place beside Peyton. She still harbored anger towards Nathan and Lucas for the way they reacted to her news last night. Neither of them where understanding or supportive.

"You okay?" Peyton turned to Brooke.

Brooke shook her head and held her stomach. "I think I might be sick!"

"Just breathe." Peyton whispered calmly to Brooke as she rubbed her back. "We can't get off now!"

The bus had already taken off and was now on the road toward the stadium.

"It is only like a five minute drive so we will be there before you know it." Peyton reminded Brooke. "We will run to the bathroom as soon as we get there."

Brooke's pink cheeks puffed up but she swallowed hard. "Water! Where is my water?"

Peyton quickly began to dig through Brooke's cheerleader gym bag to find her bottle of water. She pulled it out and pushed it into Brooke's cold hands.

Brooke swallowed half of the bottle in less than a minute. "Do you have any gum on you?"

Peyton shook her head but a hand pushed a piece of gum toward them. Both Peyton and Brooke's eyes followed the arm to find that the hand belonged to Lucas.

"You asked for gum, right?" Lucas raised an eyebrow.

Peyton snatched the gum from Lucas' hand. "Why are you listening in on our conversation?"

"I'm wasn't! If you haven't noticed, the seats on this bus are pretty close together." Lucas shrugged before putting his black headphones into his ears.

"Well thanks for the gum." Brooke mumbled from her seat.

Once the bus pulled in front of the stadium, Brooke and Peyton raced toward the nearest bathroom. Haley rushed behind the two girls with more water for Brooke.

"Why is it that after you find out you're pregnant is when you feel the symptoms the most?" Brooke spilled out of the handicap stall she'd ran into and gotten sick in.

Peyton handed her a wet paper towel to wipe her mouth with. "Maybe it's because your body and mind are now on the same page about the pregnancy?"

Haley leaned against the door of the bathroom. "Are you sure you can go out there and perform like this?"

"You saw me on prom night." Brooke smoothed out her cheerleading skirt. "I'm always ready no matter what!"

Brooke's eyes began to roll to the back of her head and her knees began to sink to the floor.

"Enough with the eye rolling, Brooke!" Haley moved from the door to check her ponytail in the mirror.

Brooke had passed out onto the cold tile floor of the stadium's bathroom.

"Brooke!" Peyton squealed as she watched her friend fall backwards. "Brooke!" She fell down onto her knees besides her unconscious friend.

"I'll go run and get some help! I left my phone back at the hotel like Brooke asked us to do. Nice rule, Brooke!" Haley raced from the ladies' bathroom and she smacked into Nathan's chest.

"Ouch! Haley, you have to watch where you are going!" Nathan jumped backwards. "Why are you running?"

Haley stopped to catch her breath. "It's Brooke!" She said breathlessly as she pointed in the direction of the ladies' bathroom.

"What about Brooke?" Lucas took Haley by the shoulders and shook her. "Is something wrong?"

Haley nodded. "She passed out on the floor of the bathroom and she won't wake up!"

Lucas and Nathan both took off running in the direction of the bathroom.

"Go call for help!" Lucas called over his shoulder to Haley.

Haley nodded and began to sprint again toward the security desk in the stadium. She'd managed to convince the security guard behind the desk to call an ambulance to take Brooke to get check out at the local hospital.

"Peyton?" Lucas and Nathan reached the bathroom within seconds after running into Haley.

Lucas cracked open the wooden door to the bathroom. "Can we come in?"

"She isn't naked, Luke!" Peyton cried out. "She just won't wake up."

Lucas and Nathan rushed inside of the bathroom to find Brooke lying on the floor in Peyton's arms.

"What happened?" Nathan kneeled down beside Peyton.

Peyton shrugged. "She was throwing up for a few minutes then she came out and said she was fine but as soon as she said that she passed out."

Lucas sighed heavily and brushed beats of sweat from Brooke's cold forehead. "You don't think she is miscarrying do you?"

"I don't think so! I don't see any blood anywhere." Nathan whispered as he checked the floor. "Did she hit her head on the floor?"

Peyton shook her head. "Luckily she fell back onto our gym bags!"

"She is in here!" Haley was directing the emergency team toward where Brooke was lying in the bathroom.

Nathan, Peyton, and Lucas all stood up from their spots on the bathroom's floor. They all crammed into the corner of the bathroom and watched as the officials began to work on watching Brooke up.

"Are there any special circumstances with her?" One paramedic asked the group.

"She is pregnant!" Peyton stepped forward.

"How far along is she?" The paramedic asked as he began to gently press down on Brooke's stomach.

Everyone shrugged in unison.

"We think she is about eight weeks along." Haley counted back in her head. "If my math is right!"

"It probably is." Nathan mumbled.

Haley flashed Nathan a smile.

The paramedic nodded and they began to roll Brooke from the bathroom on a stretcher. "From the looks of it she is severely dehydrated but we're going to take her to the hospital to run some tests."

"Will the baby be alright?" Lucas asked.

The paramedic frowned. "In cases like this it really is fifty-fifty. Does one of you want to ride to the hospital with her?"

Everyone looked around the bathroom at one another.

"Lucas or Nathan!" Peyton nudged Lucas in his side. "Haley and I have to stay here and compete in nationals. We can't have three cheerleaders missing out there."

"Nathan, you ride with Brooke and I'll drive Lucas." Karen had been alerted about what was going on by one of the paramedics who had rolled Brooke out of the stadium. "C'mon!"

Lucas and Nathan nodded in unison.

"Thanks mom!" Lucas hugged his mother tightly before rushing out toward the parking lot with his mother while Nathan jumped into the back of the ambulance with Brooke.

"How did this happen?" Karen questioned her son outside of Brooke's hospital room.

Inside Brooke remained asleep with tubes of fluid rushing into her veins through IVs. Nathan sat by Brooke's bedside, distraught with his head in his hands.

Lucas peeled his eyes off of a sleeping Brooke. "I don't know! Haley said she was talking one minute and the next she was laying on the floor of the bathroom, passed out."

Karen pursed her lips and placed her hands over her hips. "That is not what I meant! How did Brooke end up to be two months pregnant?"

"Well you know when two people love one another…" Lucas successfully dodged his mother's hand as she went to hit him in his chest.

"This is serious, Luke!" Karen said with a smile, but her smile soon disappeared as she caught a glance at Nathan through the glass window. "I can't believe Nathan is about to be a father."

Lucas remained silent as he followed his mother's eye sight to Nathan's tired eyes. He didn't want to upset his mother by letting her know that the baby could be his own and not Nathan's.

The doctor only shared the due date with Brooke when she woke up, allowing for her to guess who the father was but because they'd only slept together within days of one another, Brooke would have to wait for a paternity test when she reaches her second trimester.

"Poor Nathan," Karen grumbled as she stared at the teenage boy. "You need to be there for your brother! Put whatever you two have going on aside and be there for him. He needs you now more than ever."

Lucas held back a laugh at his mother's statement. "I wonder if you'd say the same thing to Nathan about me if that were me on the other side of that glass sitting next to Brooke instead of him."

Karen turned her attention on her son. "Don't joke like that, Luke! If you told me you were going to be a father at seventeen I think I'd have a heart attack."

"We wouldn't want that to happen," Lucas looked down at his feet. "But mom I have to tell you something."

"What is it, Luke?" Karen asked.

Lucas forced himself to look into his mother's brown eyes. "What if Brooke's baby really is mine instead of Nathan's?"

"What are you talking about?" Karen asked.

"I mean there is a strong possibility that the baby could be mine." Lucas managed to croak out past the lump forming in the middle of his throat. "Brooke was with me when she got pregnant. She wasn't with Nathan yet."

Without thinking Karen reached up and slapped her son across the face, but she instantly regretted it as tears began to form in Lucas' eyes.

"I'm so sorry!" Karen gasped.

Lucas shook his head and a tear rolled down his cheek. Nathan heard the slap from inside of the room and he came out to his brother's defense.

"That was uncalled for Karen!" Nathan stood in front of Lucas.

"Nathan…" Lucas tried to pull Nathan back into the hospital room.

Nathan jerked away from Lucas' touch to the arm. "All three of us have made mistakes that we can't take back now! Your son needs you now more than ever and you just slapped him? That wasn't cool."

"Maybe I deserved it." Lucas spoke up from behind Nathan.

"No one deserves to be slapped for a mistake." Nathan snapped. "Did your mother slap you when you told her you were pregnant at sixteen? Was someone there to slap you?"

Karen's mouth dropped open as the teenage boy lectured her on her recent assault against her son.

"You two need to get it together because lying inside of that room is a scared teenage girl who just found out she was pregnant. She has no one but us and we're fighting and slapping one another!" Nathan turned and walked back into the hospital room.

"He is right…" Karen whispered to Lucas. "I shouldn't have slapped you like that. I'm so sorry!"

Lucas flinched as his mother reached for his face again. This time she gently took his face into her hands.

"I'm sorry for putting you through this. I know this isn't want you wanted for me." Lucas said.

"This is the very last thing I wanted for any of you, Brooke especially." Karen sighed and released her hold on her son's face. "All three of you have so much potential and I'd hate to see it all be wasted by something like this. Has Brooke thought about what she is going to do?"

The door to the hospital room cracked open and Nathan's head popped out.

"Brooke is awake now. Please refrain from slapping her across the face too." Nathan informed Karen and Lucas.


	17. Chapter 17

"Brooke?" Karen spoke softly to the teenager as she slowly entered the cold hospital room that had been assigned to Brooke Davis.

Brooke sat in her bed with her head down and her fingers moving fast across the screen of her phone. "Yes?" She lifted her head up.

"I'm Karen…" Karen began.

"I remember you!" Brooke said with a smile. "We met after my accident earlier this year. I guess we have a thing with hospitals!" She tried to joke but no one laughed.

Karen sat down on the edge of Brooke's narrow hospital bed. "You feeling okay? I know the doctor said you were dehydrated."

Brooke nodded. "I feel fine now! My headache is gone but I am starting to get a little hungry." She brushed her fingers across her stomach.

Karen nodded and turned to Lucas. "Run down to the cafeteria and get her something to eat! Something healthy please. Nathan, you go with him."

"Please refrain from slapping her while we are gone." Nathan said sarcastically to Karen.

Brooke closed her eyes and shook her head. She knew Karen was about to have one of her little talks with her. Once the two brothers left the hospital room together, Karen turned back to Brooke.

"How did this happen, Brooke?" Karen asked.

Brooke shrugged. "I was just being stupid and had unprotected sex, twice."

Karen began to nod slowly. "Do you know what you are going to do?"

"I have explored all of my options if that is what you mean." Brooke took a deep breath to calm herself down so she wouldn't snap on Karen. "I could never abort my child and right now adoption is out of the question."

Karen sighed heavily. "Brooke, raising a baby is hard work…"

Brooke interrupted Karen. "I never once said that this was going to be easy for me! I know taking care of a child is harder than taking care of a puppy or cat. I understand what I have gotten myself into."

"What are you going to do about the father part of it all?" Karen asked.

Brooke dropped her head. "Once I find out who the father is for sure then I will tell them both!"

"I thought the doctor said he had some sort of clue who it was?" Karen asked.

Brooke sighed. "They think it is Lucas' baby but there is still a chance that it may be Nathan's!"

Karen felt her heart drop down to her stomach.

"I'm sorry, Karen. I didn't plan for this to happen and I never would want this for Lucas or Nathan!" Brooke pleaded. "They both deserve better than this!"

Karen took Brooke's hands into her own and gave them a tight squeeze. "You deserve better than this too but we are all here for you! Does Nathan or Lucas know that the doctor knows who the father is?"

Brooke's eyes dropped down to the phone in her lap. "No! I don't know how to tell either of them."

[**Down in the cafeteria**]

"Why did you mother slap you like that?" Nathan asked Lucas as they stood together in the cafeteria line for the vegetables.

Lucas shrugged his shoulders. "She got emotional and did something she immediately regretted!"

"It was still uncalled for! You did not deserved to be slapped." Nathan said.

"I know but how would you react if one day your son told you he might have gotten a girl pregnant?" Lucas asked. "I think I'd freak out just a little bit too."

"The real question is how are we going to react when we find out who the father is." Nathan mumbled.

Lucas took a deep breath. "At this point I don't even know how I'm going to react! I just feel so numb to it all."

Nathan nodded slowly. "I know what you mean. I feel the same way!"

"Do you think you could be with her if the child was mine instead of yours?" Lucas asked.

Nathan kept his eyes on the steamed vegetables that were laid out behind a plastic display case in front of him. "I think we should just go with the pizza instead." He ignored Lucas' question.

Lucas shook his head as he watched Nathan make his way toward the pizza line in the hospital's cafeteria. He knew Nathan would not be able to handle him being the father. He knew Brooke's heart would be broken by the end of the night.

[**Back in the hospital room**]

"Oh, Brooke!" Peyton rushed into her best friend's hospital room.

Brooke was lying in her hospital bed flipping through channels on the tiny television they had set up in the room for her entertainment. Karen had taken Lucas and Nathan to start their warm up for the championship that was going to start.

"How was nationals? How did we place? Good or bad?" Brooke sat up in her bed.

Peyton climbed into the bed and sat down beside Brooke. "We got second place but we won best choreography. You should have seen the face of that bitch captain of the red devils!"

Brooke clapped her hands together. "God, I wish I was there to see the look on her face! But at least we won something and second place isn't that bad!"

Peyton pulled the small trophy from her cheerleading gym bag. "They loved your moves!"

Brooke took the trophy from Peyton's hands. "I'm just sad that I didn't get a chance to perform in front of the judges. It was my last chance to ever perform at Nationals."

"You can still cheer once you have the baby!" Peyton said with a reassuring smile.

Brooke shot her a look. "Yeah right!"

"Brooke, a baby isn't going to take everything enjoyable and fun out of your life." Peyton's smile disappeared and she suddenly began serious. "You will still have a life after you have this baby. You'll just have a life with a baby and when you get sick of the baby you can just pass it off to Nathan to watch for the day!"

Brooke bit down on her bottom lip. "Nathan isn't the father." She almost whispered.

"Oh well Lucas will be more than happy to take the baby and let you go have some fun!" Peyton's voice cracked.

"I messed up this time, P. Sawyer!" Brooke buried her face into Peyton's shoulder. "I messed up so bad!"

Peyton held Brooke in her arms. "Brooke, everything is going to work out."

"What if it doesn't?" Brooke cried.

"Then you'll have me here fighting at your side!" Peyton nodded once. "Nothing can break us, Brooke! And no one is going to hurt you or my niece or nephew." She held her fist out to Brooke. "Hoes or Bros!"

Brooke couldn't help but smile as she pounded her fist against Peyton's fist. "Hoes or Bros!"

"I love you B. Davis!" Peyton smiled.

"I love you too P. Sawyer!" Brooke hugged Peyton.

"Now I want you to remember that when I demand you make me godmother or at least name the baby after me!" Peyton joked. "Sawyer can make an amazing first name."

Brooke scrunched up her nose. "I don't like last names for first names!"

"I'm good with it being the middle name too!" Peyton laughed.

She pulled a small radio out of her cheerleading gym bag. Once she pressed the on button, Mouth McFadden's voice began to come through the speakers. He was the broadcaster for the Raven's basketball games.

"We're gonna win this!" Peyton said with a single nod of her head.

Brooke squirmed around. "I'm getting butterflies thinking about it."

"Are you sure it isn't your baby moving around?" Peyton's hands found their way onto Brooke's flat stomach.

"It is too early for any of that! I won't even know the sex until next month." Brooke pulled the radio from Peyton's lap. "I have an idea!" Her eyes began to light up.

Peyton shook her head. "You're pregnant now! You can't be doing anything outrageous anymore."

Brooke frowned. "What happened to not letting a baby get in the way of my fun?"

Peyton sighed. "Fine! What is the idea?"

"Brooke, this is crazy!" Haley said from the front seat of Karen's car. "I can't believe I am sneaking you out of the hospital!"

Brooke rolled her eyes. "Whatever! I'll be fine but I can't miss the championship especially if we finally win. I'd be pissed!"

"You're nuts!" Haley squealed as she drove back to the stadium in Karen Scott's car.

"How'd you get Karen to let you burrow her car?" Peyton asked.

Haley pulled into the parking lot of the large stadium. "I told her that I just wanted to check in on Brooke before the game started. She trusts me! Although that is all about to change once she sees Brooke cheerleading on the sidelines."

"Oh no, Brooke! You can't cheer!" Peyton pleaded. "I never would have agreed to this if I knew you were coming to cheer! I thought you were coming to see the game."

"Why can't I cheer?" Brooke asked. "I'm fine!"

"Brooke!" Peyton pleaded.

Brooke sighed. "I have been sipping on water and snacking on these peanuts since we left the hospital. I am fine! I won't over do it."

"Promise?" Peyton asked.

Brooke held out her pinky to Peyton. "I pinky promise."

The two girls linked pinky fingers and each girl kissed their own thumb before turning and climbing out of the old beat up car.

"This is still crazy!" Haley said as the three cheerleaders rushed inside of the stadium before the game started.

"I live for crazy and I want to get all of the crazy out of my system and veins before I get too fat to do anything." Brooke said.

Peyton laughed and led her friends towards the double doors where the cheerleaders were supposed to enter the court. "Brooke, you are not going to get fat during this pregnancy!"

"You say that now but just watch! In three months I won't be able to see my toes!" Brooke laughed and the three girls busted into the side door of the stadium's basketball court.

The game had yet to begin but they could hear Mouth's voice over the intercom talking about the skills of all of the players on the Ravens.

"Brooke?" Bevin called out to her cheer captain. "What are you doing here? I thought you were dead!"

Brooke shook her head and sighed. "Really Bevin? I pray for you every night!" She walked past the blond cheerleader and took her place in the middle of the rest of her squad. "Ladies we have to rock this out and cheer on our team tonight! I know you are all tired from nationals but I just got of the hospital so get over it!"

A thunder of roars began to travel throughout the stadium as the teams prepared to exit out onto the court to start the final game of the basketball season.

"Let's do this, ladies!" Brooke gave her cheerleading squad a nod before they all began to cheer on the players of the Raven's basketball team.

Nathan led the team out and Lucas ended the line of players. The crowd of fans cheered on wildly as the boys assembled in a line on the side lines. Nathan looked around the court and noticed that Brooke was standing a few feet away cheering him and his teammates on.

Brooke and Nathan locked eyes and she threw a wink in his direction as she clapped together her pompoms. Nathan instantly looked away from Brooke.

"Don't let that get to you." Peyton whispered into Brooke's ear after witnessing her awkward exchange with Nathan. "He is just nervous about the game!"

Brooke sighed but continued to clap her pompoms together. "I hope you're right!" She screamed,"Go Ravens!"

Lucas noticed Brooke next and instantly he began to worry about her. "What is Brooke doing here?" He managed to say loud enough for Haley, who was standing only a few inches away from him, to hear.

"Go Ravens!" Haley shrugged but continued to cheer. "She wanted to be here!"

"Are you sure you don't want to sit down?" Peyton asked Brooke as the game entered halftime.

Brooke paused for a moment and then nodded. "I guess I should sit down!" She turned on her heel and made her way to the front row of bleachers. _"I guess this is what it is like to be a parent." _She thought to herself. _"Compromising and giving things up."_

"You feeling okay?" Lucas ran over to Brooke after coming out of the locker room. "What are you even doing here?"

"I feel fine!" Brooke smiled. "The doctor said it was fine for me to be here as long as I felt better and was well rested." She lied.

Lucas squinted as he examined Brooke carefully. "Well as long as you feel okay." He brushed a beat of sweat from Brooke's forehead. "You talked to Nathan yet?" He took a seat next to her.

Brooke looked down at her hands. "He is kind of avoiding me at the moment and I don't want to mess this night up for him any further than I already have."

"Don't worry about Nate!" Lucas said. "He is just feeling numb to the whole situation. He will come around."

"I guess now would be the right time to tell him then since he is numb." Brooke mumbled.

Lucas looked over at Brooke. "Tell him what?" He felt butterflies in the pit of his stomach.

Brooke hesitated. "I have to tell him that he won't be the one that is tied down by a baby…"

"Are you saying that…" Lucas stuttered.

Brooke nodded. "That you are the father and not Nathan. There is still a twenty percent chance that it could be Nathan's baby but twenty verses eighty seems to be unlikely."

Lucas covered his face with his hands and he took a deep breath into his hands.

"Luke, I'm so sorry!" Brooke cried out.

Lucas pulled Brooke into a hug. "It is okay! I'm here for you and our baby."

Brooke closed her eyes to fight back the tears as she held onto Lucas tightly. It felt nice to hear him say _our baby_. "Thank you…"

Nathan re-entered the court after taking a short break in the locker room with his teammates. He found Brooke and Lucas embracing in a prolonged hug while Lucas rubbed Brooke's back to settle her down. He felt his stomach drop. _"So I guess I'm not the father…"_ He thought to himself.


	18. Chapter 18

"Oh my word, Brooke!" Peyton squealed loudly at the sight of her best friend. "You look so cute."

Brooke jumped at the sound of the loud squeal coming from the doorway of her bedroom. "Peyton! You can't sneak up on me like that. I'm pregnant, remember? As you so nicely like to remind me every five seconds."

"Oh whatever. I'll try to be more quiet." Peyton smiled widely and tip toed over to Brooke, who was standing in front of her floor length mirror with her blouse pulled up over her growing baby bump. "You're getting bigger!"

Brooke winced at those words. "Please don't say that. I do not want to hear about how fat I am becoming."

Peyton laughed and placed her hands over Brooke's bump, "You are supposed to be getting bigger. It means the baby is healthy and growing which means you are doing something right with this pregnancy."

Brooke removed Peyton's hands from her stomach and she jammed a measuring rope into her palm. "Can we start measuring please?"

Peyton frowned and got down onto her knees so she could begin measuring Brooke's baby bump. "You still bummed out over Lucas being the father instead of Nathan?"

Brooke sighed heavily. "Yes and no. I mean he is doing great with taking care of me and this baby already, but I just don't want to be with him right now. I want to be with Nathan!"

"Have you spoken to Nathan?" Peyton asked as she wrapped the measuring tape around Brooke's waist.

Brooke closed her eyes. "He won't return any of my phone calls or text messages."

After losing the championship, Nathan was in a foul mood. He didn't want anything to do with anyone except Haley. She seemed to be the only person who was able to calm him down; therefore, he left the game with her instead of Brooke.

"So we're assuming that he knows that he isn't the baby's father?" Peyton wrote down the amount of inches that Brooke's belly and waist had now grown to be now that she was almost four months pregnant.

"I think he knows that it's Lucas not him, although I honestly don't think that he would turn into his father that fast." Brooke sighed. "So how big am I?"

Peyton looked down at the notepad she'd written the measures down in. "You are only twelve inches! That is not big at all."

Brooke pulled her blouse down over her stomach. "If you can see that I'm pregnant through my top then that is pretty big. At least to me it is."

"Brooke, you look beautiful." Lucas walked into Brooke's bedroom. "I tell you that all the time."

Brooke plopped down onto her round bed. "Thank you!" She climbed under the covers.

"Can I get you anything?" Lucas sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Ice cream? Lucas and Brooke said in unison.

"Ice cream coming right up." Lucas turned and left Brooke's bedroom.

Peyton followed him out of the room and down into the kitchen. "Thank you for being there for Brooke and the baby."

Lucas looked up from scooping ice cream into a bowl. "It really is no problem! I learned from the best. I would never abandon my own child."

Peyton smiled. "I only wish Nathan had the same attitude as you."

"Is she wanting to be with him?" Lucas asked.

Peyton hesitated before answering. "Yeah she does. She fell in love with him, Luke, so it is crushing her to see him walk away from her so easily."

"Well if we're being honest. I don't think he is walking away from her for good." Lucas said bitterly as he slammed a spoon into the bowl of ice cream. "I think he is taking a breather before he comes back to her."

"Is that breather named Haley?" Peyton asked sarcastically.

"I hope not." Lucas mumbled. He made his way back toward Brooke's bedroom. "I got your ice cream." Lucas laughed when he heard Brooke shout 'yay' from her place in her bedroom. "Here you are."

Brooke squealed and took the ice cream from Lucas. "Thanks babe."

It hurt Lucas whenever Brooke was affectionate toward him because he knew there was no meaning behind the affection for her. He wanted nothing more than to be a family with Brooke and his unborn child but her heart was somewhere else and there was nothing he could do about that but wait it out. He had to wait for her to realize that he was the guy for her.

"So did you tell your mom about the pregnancy yet?" Peyton asked Brooke as she climbed into the bed and took a seat next to Brooke under the covers.

"Hell no!" Brooke said with a mouthful of ice cream.

Lucas sat down at the foot of the bed. "How do you think she is going to react to the news?"

"She is going to flip shit and that is what I'm afraid of." Brooke admitted. "Thank god she is back in California for the time being."

Brooke's mother, Victoria Davis, was struggling to keep the bills paid and keep up with their lavish lifestyle. She was sucking up her pride and crawling back to Brooke's father who lived in California. Victoria was spending most of her time in the sunny state to fix her marriage and financial state while Brooke remained in Tree Hill so she could attend school.

"When is the next time she will be back in town?" Lucas asked.

Brooke put another spoonful of ice cream into her mouth. "Next week!"

"What are you going to do?" Peyton asked. "You are bound to get bigger by next week."

"Would the you of two be mad if I told you that I was sneaking away money every week?" Brooke bit down on her bottom lip.

"What?" Lucas and Peyton squealed in unison.

Lucas cleared his throat. "Where are you getting the money and what are you doing with it?"

"Please don't tell me that you're blowing it all on shopping!" Peyton said.

"It is my allowance from my parents." Brooke rolled her chocolate brown eyes. "And no I am not blowing my money on clothes and shoes anymore. I know the responsibility that is ahead of me!"

"So what are you doing with it?" Peyton questioned.

"I'm putting it away into a private bank account. I want to buy my own apartment before the baby gets here!" Brooke said with a single nod. "I don't want to risk my mother or father disowning me and kicking me out once they find out."

"Oh B. Davis!" Peyton smiled widely and pulled her best friend into a hug. "That is so genius. I am proud of you."

Brooke laughed and hugged Peyton back. "I told you that I'm smarter than most people think I am."

"You're also stronger than most people think." Lucas said. "Including me."

Brooke pulled away from her hug with Peyton and held out her arms toward Lucas. Lucas made his way across the large bed and hugged Brooke.

He knew the hug felt different to Brooke, but to him the hug felt amazing. The feel of her soft skin against his made him blush and the feel of her baby bump against his abs gave him butterflies.

"You know what I just thought about?" Brooke fell back down onto the bed. "We have to go back to school tomorrow after our two week break."

Peyton groaned loudly. "Please don't remember me!"

Brooke hit Peyton with a pillow. "You aren't the one who is going to be walking down the hallway with a belly leading the way."

"True but Brooke again you are not that big." Peyton rubbed Brooke's stomach gently. "At least it isn't twins."

[**At School**]

Brooke could feel all eyes on her as she walked down the school's hallway to her locker. Her stomach was showcased behind a tight knit sweater. By the time she reached her locker she was tired of all the attention.

A warm hand touched Brooke gently on her shoulder and it caused her to turn around. The hand belonged to her boyfriend, Nathan Scott.

"You okay?" Nathan asked Brooke in a soft tone.

Brooke melted into Nathan's arms and she buried her face into his muscular chest. "No. I want this to all go away." She groaned into his green polo sweater.

"It's okay!" Nathan held Brooke in his arms. "I'm right here beside you."

These words made Brooke's heart skip a beat and forced tears into her eyes.

"Thank you." Brooke pulled her face away from Nathan's chest and she looked up at him with big wet eyes.

Nathan's heart was still hurting from the fact that Brooke wasn't having his child. Although he did not want to become a teen father, he did want Brooke to be carrying his own child instead of his brother's child.

Lucas walked into the hallway with a wide smile on his face as he held in his hand Brooke's favorite chocolates that she had been craving during her pregnancy. His smile soon disappeared at the sight of Nathan and Brooke embracing in the center of their gossiping classmates.

"I was not expecting that to happen this soon." Peyton walked up to Lucas and the two stood staring at Nathan wipe away Brooke's tears.

"You said it yourself; she is still stuck on him." Lucas said sadly before he walked off toward his first period class.

Brooke waltzed up to Lucas after school. "Hey Brody," She nudged him in his side. "I didn't get a chance to see you at all today. You didn't sit in your usual seat beside me today."

Lucas shrugged his shoulders and kept his eyes down at his hands. "I figured you wanted to get caught up with Nathan."

Her lips took the shape of a pout. "So I take it you know that Nathan and I are back together?"

He sighed and shut his locker shut, trying his hardest not to slam it. "Yeah I saw you two in the hallway this morning like everyone else did."

Brooke took Lucas' face into her hands and she forced him to look into her eyes. "Look at me, Luke." She said sternly. "Nathan is not going to take your place in this baby's life. I would never let that happen."

"What about my place in your life?" Lucas asked. "You can deny it all you want now but I know the phone calls will come to a slow halt and us communicating will become rare unless it's something about the baby."

"Luke," Brooke pleaded with the boy. "You are my best friend and no one is taking that spot away from you."

Lucas peeled Brooke's fingers away from his face. "Just friends?"

"Best friends!" Brooke said with a smile.

"Right." He mumbled. "Best friends!" Lucas shook his head and left Brooke standing in the hallway by herself.

Brooke watched sadly as Lucas walked away from her. "Luke…" She called after him, her voice cracking.

She didn't want to lose him. His friendship meant so much to her but at that moment she began to gain clarity. Her feelings for Lucas crept back on her. All the time they had been spending together made them grow close again, closer than just friends.

"There you are." Nathan wrapped his arms around Brooke's waist.

Brooke broke her eye contact away from looking off in the direction Lucas had gone in. "Here I am!" She turned to face Nathan. "I was looking for you."

"I was with Haley in the tutor center." Nathan answered simply.

Instantly jealously filled Brooke's heart at the sound of Haley's name. "Alone? You were with her alone?"

Nathan laughed and tilted his head off to the side. "Do I detest a note of jealously?"

"Expanding your vocabulary?" Brooke playfully teased her boyfriend.

Nathan cleared his throat as he choked on a laugh. "Well that is Haley's job."

Brooke pointed her index finger at Nathan. "As long as that is the only job she is fulfilling for you!" She poked him in the chest.

He squeezed his eyes shut and laughed. "I can't believe you just said that."

"I'm pregnant! I get excused from everything for here on out." Brooke placed her hands on her stomach. "Pregnant women can do no wrong."

Nathan placed his hands over Brooke's hands so they were both holding her stomach.

"Kodak moment." Peyton said seconds before a flash went off. She'd taken a photo of the couple with her phone. "How cute!" She pretended to gush.

Nathan rolled his eyes and laughed. "Hello to you too, Peyton."

Peyton put her hands on her hips. "It has been a while. Hasn't it? You disappeared and left Brooke alone…"

"She was hardly alone." Nathan interrupted Peyton. "Last time I checked both you and Lucas have never left her side."

Peyton took a step toward Nathan. "That is because our best friend was hurting over the fact that her boyfriend left her after finding out that she was pregnant."

"You can't blame for me that." Nathan almost shouted at Peyton. "How else did you expect me to react? I was either going to be a teen father or my brother was going to have a baby by the girl I am in love with."

Peyton laughed in disbelief. "I expected you to be there for her. To let her know that everything is going to be okay between the two of you despite the fact that the baby is not yours."

"I'm doing that now!" Nathan shouted in Peyton's face. "I am trying my best."

Brooke flinched as Nathan's voice rose to a shout. She couldn't find the words to stop Nathan and Peyton from yelling at one another in the middle of the hallway.

"Your best is not good enough when you are also trying your best to seduce Haley James." Peyton hit Nathan in the chest with her fist.

"What?" Both Nathan and Brooke asked in unison.

"What do you mean by that?" Brooke stepped forward.

Peyton instantly regretted mentioning anything about Nathan and Haley but she knew she had to let Brooke know what Nathan had done the night after the championship.

"Nathan and Haley made out after the game." Peyton's eyes fell to the floor.

"That is not true!" Nathan denied it.

"Actually it is." Haley stepped onto the hallway and toward the group of friends.


	19. Chapter 19

**The first version of this was supposed to go earlier in the story but I decided to write the school shooting in a different way so sorry about posting the wrong version of the chapter. This is now the updated chapter.**

Brooke could see nothing as she raced down the hallway toward the double doors. Once she reached the doors she pushed them open and fell outside. Brooke closed her eyes and braced herself for the pain from the fall to kick in but something stopped her from falling to the ground.

Brooke slowly being to open her eyes to see what had caused to not to fall and as she did she could make out arms holding her. The muscular arms belonged to that of Lucas Scott.

"Brooke, you okay?" Lucas said breathlessly as he pulled Brooke up right. His hands found their way onto her slightly round stomach.

"Brooke! Hold on a second." Nathan was running down the hallway toward the open double doors.

Brooke's hold on Lucas' arms tightened. "Please, get me out of here! I need to be as far away from him as possible." She pleaded with him. "Please, Luke." She whispered to him.

Lucas frowned and looked back and forth between Nathan and Brooke. This was his chance to finally be able to save Brooke and he was going to take it. "Where are your car keys?" He held out his hand.

Brooke handed him her car keys and they both began to run toward her light blue BMW sitting parked in the school's parking lot. Because she was pregnant, Brooke's school allowed her to park in a special parking spot close to the school's many entrances.

Lucas opened the passenger side door for Brooke before he ran around the car and got in. The car left behind tire marks on the pavement as it sped off in the opposite direction of the school.

Brooke watched in her side view mirror as the school shrank into a tiny spec in the background of the town. "Thank you for saving me back there!" She turned to Lucas.

Lucas was no longer speeding as they were now on the main road. "What happened back there anyways?"

Brooke's bottom lip began to quiver as the scene between her, Nathan, and Peyton played back in her head. "I found out a lot about Nathan and Haley today."

Lucas fought the urge to punch the steering wheel. He knew exactly what Brooke meant; he'd suspected that Haley had been back to hooking up with Nathan but he hadn't been sure since he hadn't seen it with his own eyes. "I'm sorry, Brooke. You don't deserve that!"

"I know that I don't deserve you." Brooke touched Lucas' arm but quickly pulled away so he wouldn't get the wrong impression.

Now that she realized her feelings for Lucas were still there, she wanted to be careful with their friendship. She still didn't know if she wanted to be with him again because she felt as if she wasn't worthy enough for a second chance with him, and the last thing she wanted was for him to become a rebound.

"You've been so nice and I've done nothing to deserve that except make sure you were stuck with me for the rest of your life by getting pregnant." Brooke caressed her small baby bump with her fingers.

The car came to a slow halt in front of his mother's café. He shifted his body in the driver's seat so he was fully facing Brooke. He placed his hands over hers on her stomach.

"Brooke, you deserve so much more!" Lucas smiled softly over at her. "I want to be a family with you and this baby."

Brooke whimpered and dropped her head down to hide the fact that she was beginning to cry.

"Brooke?" Lucas asked, worried. "What's wrong?"

She slowly forced herself to look up at him. Her brown eyes searched his blue eyes and she found nothing but love in his stare. "It may be my hormones but I'm sitting here envying the girl that gets to be with you one day."

Lucas laughed and looked down at their joined hands. "Hopefully one day that girl will be you."

Someone began to tap on the driver's side window and the sound startled both Brooke and Lucas.

Brooke hadn't even noticed where they were until the knocking on the window began. She groaned silently as she saw the Karen's Café sign. The last person she wanted to see was Haley.

Lucas rolled down the window and standing on the other side was Peyton. She'd managed to catch up with Brooke and Lucas after they ran from the school.

"Thanks for leaving me behind with the jerk!" Peyton kneeled over to catch her breath.

Brooke sighed a sigh of relief when she saw that it was Peyton on the other side of the car and not Haley. She jumped out of the car and raced over to be at Peyton's side.

"Did you run here?" Brooke asked as she supported Peyton.

Peyton laughed and shook her head. "Jake saw me running down the street after your BMW and he offered to give me a ride. I jumped out of the car, literally, when I thought I'd caught up with you guys back at the last light!"

Brooke couldn't help but laugh. "I'm sorry."

Peyton laughed and shook her head, "I'm the one who should be apologizing. I shouldn't have told you about Nathan and Haley like that."

Brooke nodded once but gave Peyton a hug. "Well at least now I know about those two sneaking around behind my back."

Peyton draped her arm around Brooke's waist, "Now let's get out of here! You are pregnant and fist fighting Haley in front of her work place is unacceptable, although, I'd love to see that one happen."

"Haley isn't supposed to be working today." Lucas climbed out of the car. "I brought Brooke here because I thought she'd want something to eat after everything. I know food comforts you!"

Brooke smiled widely and shook her hips in excitement. "Oh food! You know me so well Luke." She clapped her hands together and held her hands out to Peyton and Lucas.

Peyton grabbed ahold of Brooke's hand while Lucas took her other hand into his own. The friends all sat around a round table the center of the small café while they ate and talk for several hours.

"Thank you again, Luke." Brooke turned on the heel of her boot. "For everything." She leaned in to kiss his cheek but Lucas turned his head to say something and the two locked lips.

The kiss took them both by surprise but the kiss became prolonged. Finally after several moments, Brooke pulled away from the embrace with Lucas.

Brooke placed her hands on Lucas' chest as he leaned in for another kiss. "Luke…" She whispered against his lips. "I can't do this to you."

Lucas sighed and brushed his lips against her lips. "Brooke, you don't know how long I've wanted this moment to happen."

Brooke caressed his lips with her thumb, "I don't want you becoming my defenseless rebound guy that I only turn to when I'm feeling hurt or heartbroken because of something Nathan did. You deserve better than that. If I'm going to be with you again then I want you to have all of me not just half."

Lucas smiled and tucked one of Brooke's curls behind her ear. "Thank you!"

"So you understand?" Brooke asked.

Lucas gave his head a single nod as he planted a kiss upon her cheek. "Not only do I understand but I'm grateful that you care about me that much." He reached around her and opened the door leading to her bedroom. "Goodnight pretty girl."

Brooke smiled and bit down on her bottom lip, fighting the urge to lean in and kiss him again. "Goodnight."

Lucas walked down Brooke's driveway and toward his car that was sitting at the end of her driveway. Peyton had drove his car to Brooke's house after retrieving it from the school's parking lot for him.

He turned and waited for Brooke to turn off her bedroom lights before he climbed into the driver's seat.

"You're a good person, Lucas Scott. You know that?" Peyton said from the passenger seat of the red tow truck.

Lucas smiled brightly. "I love her, Peyton."

"He told you that?" Brooke asked Peyton as they met up in the school's parking lot.

Peyton linked her arm around Brooke's arm and the two friends made their way through the school's court yard. "Yup! Last night after we dropped you off he admitted that he was in love with you."

Brooke's cheeks turned a bright shade of red.

"Is Brooke Davis really blushing?" Peyton playfully began to tease her best friend. "Why I think she is!"

Brooke pushed Peyton and laughed. "Stop it! I think China heard you just fine." Her hands flew up to her burning red cheeks.

"You better stop before Lucas sees you blushing so bright." Peyton nudged Brooke in her side.

Brooke rolled her eyes and dropped her hands from her cheeks. "I know for a fact that Lucas is at the cafe having breakfast with his mother."

Peyton snapped her fingers together. "Damn!"

Brooke stuck her tongue out and blew it at Peyton. The two girls laughed as they made their way down the hallway.

"Cheating douche bag ex-boyfriend at twelve o'clock." Peyton whispered to Brooke but was stopped in her tracks when Nathan turned around and planted a kiss on Haley's lips. "That bastard. Well someone surely moves on quickly."

Brooke's mouth also hung open as she observed Nathan be affectionate toward his tutor, Haley James. It had been less than twenty four hours when he'd been wrapping his arms around Brooke and passionately kissing her in the hallway for all of their peers to see.

"I guess now we know who the real Nathan Scott and Haley James are." Peyton added.

"What are we all looking at?" Lucas walked up behind Brooke and hugged her. Before anyone could answer his eyes fell upon Haley and Nathan together at Nathan's locker. "What the…"

"Hell? Yeah we're all thinking the very same thing." Peyton interrupted Lucas and shot him a look while nodding toward an emotional Brooke. "Distract her." She mouthed over to Lucas.

Lucas turned Brooke away from staring angrily at Nathan with Haley. "You want to go grab some breakfast before class starts?"

Brooke buried her head into Lucas' chest to hide her tears from Nathan's sight.

"Brooke, don't let him see you like this. This lets him win! Don't let him win." Peyton whispered to Brooke as she rubbed her back to calm her down. "Be the strong Brooke Davis that we all know and love."

Brooke nodded her head and she slowly pulled her head away from Lucas' chest. "I guess you're right! Luke…" She turned to the handsome jock. "I'm taking you up on your offer to eat but I'm not in the mood for breakfast so we're so ditching second period to go eat."

Peyton took one of Brooke's hands while Lucas took the other, this becoming something the friends always did when they were all together. The trio made their way down the hall toward their first period.

Brooke tried to hold her head high as they moved past Nathan and Haley.

"Hey Peyton." Haley greeted the blond cheerleader with a wave.

Peyton ignored Haley's greeting and continue to walk alongside Brooke. "Dick!" She said to Nathan as she bumped past him.

Lucas held back laughter at Peyton's actions toward Nathan, it cracked him up to see bad ass Peyton come out.

"P. Sawyer!" Brooke turned to Peyton outside of their first period classroom. "I saw what you did with Nathan back there." She held up her index finger as Peyton began to defend her actions. "And I loved it!"

The two girls high fived and squealed together in the hallway.

"But on a serious note." Peyton stopped bouncing around with Brooke. "I hope you now see that Nathan has always been Nathan and he will always be Nathan. He is a douchebag who plays girls for a hobby."

A frown took the shape of Brooke's mouth. "I just thought I knew another side of Nathan. I thought he was being real and true when he was with me. I still love him though Peyton, and I will probably always love him."

These words stung Lucas in the chest. He was realizing that Nathan had become Brooke's first love and there was no replacing that love for her. He knew he could offer her an unconditional love but he still had to wait for her not to be in love with Nathan.

"When does it all go away?" Brooke asked. "I don't want to be in love with two people at the same time."

Peyton gasped. "Two people?" She looked back and forth between Brooke and Lucas as the pair locked eyes in front of her. "I knew it!"

"Knew what?" Lucas scratched the back of her head. "What are you talking about?"

"Something went on between the two of your last night at your bedroom door, didn't it?" Peyton pointed her finger at Brooke. "You finally admitted to him that you love him!" She squealed.

"Finally?" Lucas mumbled.

Peyton rolled her hazel eyes and smiled. "Yes, finally. Anyone with a pulse can see how you two feel about one another. It's probably why Nathan was always so threatened by you two hanging out."

Brooke and Lucas linked fingers behind their backs as they talked to Peyton in the hallway. They were finally in agreement; they loved one another but wanted to take it slow so Lucas was the only one on Brooke's mind and heart.

Lucas wanted nothing more than to kiss and hold Brooke but he was respecting her wish to wait. It made him love her so much more that she wanted him to have all of her.

"I'm just waiting for you two to get married." Peyton shrugged her shoulders. "We all know it's the next step for the two of you."

Nathan was standing behind Peyton, waiting to get into the classroom. "Married?" He accidentally asked out loud. "Who is getting married?"

"Not that it is any of your business but Brooke and Lucas are getting married." Peyton said with a matter of fact tone to her voice.

"Peyton!" Brooke squealed at her best friend.

"Was I not supposed to say anything?" Peyton bit down on her bottom lip and walked into the classroom.

Brooke awkwardly walked inside of the classroom and she turned and pulled Lucas in with her. "C'mon." She whispered to Lucas.

Nathan's heart skipped a beat as he caught sight of Brooke holding tightly onto Lucas' hand. "They're getting married?"

"There is no way!" Haley spoke up from behind Nathan. "Lucas would have told me."

"I thought you said you haven't spoken to Lucas?" Nathan questioned his girlfriend.

Haley closed her mouth and looked up at Nathan. "You really think they're getting married?"

"Why wouldn't they? They already have a baby together." Nathan mumbled before walking off down the hallway, intending to skip class.


	20. Chapter 20

"Are you ready for this?" Lucas pulled into a parking space and turned off the car.

It was time for Brooke's doctor's appointment and during this appointment she was going to be finding out whether she and Lucas were having a boy or a girl in nearly six months.

So much had been going on in her life that she barely even had time to even think about the gender reveal appointment. She had been thrown out of the house by her mother after telling her mother about her pregnancy and she had been staying with Peyton. She was also occupied by Nathan's absence.

Despite her not wanting to still have feelings for Nathan, she began to grow worried every day that he didn't show up to class.

No one had heard from the depressed teenager not even his girlfriend, Haley James, knew where he had gone off too. It had been almost two weeks since any of Nathan's friends had seen or heard from him.

Brooke looked down at her hands, "Is it weird that I'm nervous?"

Lucas laughed and brushed loose strands of hair from her face. "Why are you nervous?"

"I don't know." She gave her shoulders a gentle shrug. "I guess because once we know the sex of the baby then everything will suddenly become so real! We'd have to start buying clothes and a crib and then we have to choose a name for him or her." She sighed. "It's all so nerve wrecking!"

Lucas pulled her into a hug and smiled. "Well I'm here by your side every step of the way. We can turn this into something fun rather than something nerve wrecking." He kissed the back of her hand. "Let's brainstorm names while we wait in the waiting room."

Brooke smiled and nodded her head. "That sounds fun."

She felt lucky to have Lucas by her side despite the fact that he knew her heart did not fully belong to him. She wanted to be with Lucas but she couldn't force herself to not have love for Nathan anymore.

Lucas and Brooke walked arm in arm into the hospital and were seated in the waiting room.

"So I was thinking the baby's name could have a meaning behind it." Lucas whispered over to Brooke.

Brooke scrunched up her nose. "But no last names for first names, like Peyton wants us to name the baby Sawyer if it's a girl."

Lucas shook his head, "I don't like that name."

Brooke laughed and playfully hit Lucas in the arm. "I've always liked the name James for a guy and maybe Nichole for a girl?" She raised an eyebrow. "James Keith Scott? Nichole Karen Scott? Both have a certain ring to them!"

Lucas couldn't help but smile from ear to ear. "You'd do that for me? You'd name our child after my uncle or my mom?"

"This baby is half you and half me, and you've been such a great daddy already so I figured you deserve it and so do Keith and Karen." Brooke smiled and brushed her nose against his. "Besides Keith was like an uncle to me too and Karen is the closest thing I've got to a mother figure in my life. I love them both so much."

"But if it's a girl you don't want to name her after your mother?" Lucas asked.

Brooke pursed her lips together and shot Lucas a look but as she opened her mouth to throw an insult at her mother the door to the doctor's office opened and a woman stepped out to call back the next patient.

"Brooke Penelope Davis?" The nurse's assistant read Brooke's name from the clipboard she was carrying.

Brooke took Lucas' hand and gave it a tight squeeze before turning to the nurse' assistant, "That's us!"

The assistant walked Lucas and Brooke back to a tiny room that could only fit a weight scale and blood pressure pump. After stepping on the weight, it was revealed that Brooke had gained twelve pounds since finding out she was pregnant.

"Nice improvement with the weight." The assistant complimented Brooke. "And your blood pressure is nearly perfect."

Lucas remained quiet as he stood cramped in the corner holding Brooke's jacket and purse against his chest. He was just as nervous as Brooke, but he wanted to appear to be stable and strong for Brooke.

The nurse's assistant led them back into their ultrasound room. "The doctor will be right with you as soon as she can." She said to Brooke before disappearing behind the door and out into the hallway.

"Twelve pounds!" Brooke gasped. "I'm getting huge already. There better not be twins in there." She gently poked her stomach and laughed.

"You're doing great." Lucas said with a nod. Underneath Brooke's coat his hands were shaking. "Does it normally take them this long?"

Brooke smiled widely, "You're nervous, aren't you?"

"What?" Lucas looked up him his tapping feet. "No! I'm just anxious to see our child for the first time. I wasn't there for the first ultra sound, which by the way, I regret and I'm sorry for that."

Brooke waved her hand casually and smiled. "You had a basketball game to lose." She teased him.

A knock on the door of Brooke's ultrasound room was followed by the door slowly opening. The doctor poked her head around the corner of the door.

"May I come in?" She asked politely.

"Well we are here to see you doc, so come on in." Brooke replied.

The doctor came into the room with the ultrasound technician following behind her. The ultrasound began with Brooke lifting her sweater over her stomach and the technician squirting gel on Brooke's belly button.

Brooke winced at the chill coming from the blue colored gel placed on her stomach. She reached her hand out for Lucas to take and he stood up to stand beside her while holding her hand for moral support.

After searching for less than two minutes, they were able to see their baby on the screen.

"And there it is." The doctor stood by the screen and pointed out the baby's features. "There is the nose and the hands. Do you want to know the sex of the baby because we already know?"

Brooke looked up at Lucas and smiled, "Yes!"

"Well…" The doctor trailed off, "Congrats! You two are having a baby boy."

"James Keith Scott!" Lucas said proudly before leaning down and kissing Brooke's forehead.

Brooke began to cry, "I love you." She kissed his nose. "It's a boy!" She whispered to him. "I'm having your baby boy."

Without hesitation Lucas replied, "I love you too."

It felt good for Lucas to hear Brooke tell him that she loved him. It was one step closer to them being able to be a family with their son.

They left the ultrasound room with wide smiles plastered onto their faces and their fingers linked together.

"Brooke…" Nathan had gone to the hospital to join Brooke for her doctor's appointment to show that he was going to support her and her unborn child but when he got there he had been discouraged by seeing Lucas and Brooke walking into the hospital like a happily married couple.

The smile on Brooke's face quickly disappeared and Lucas' hold on Brooke's hand tightened at the sight of his brother.

Nathan stood before them and it was visible that he wasn't sleeping well if at all. Dark circles formed underneath his eyes and his dark brown hair was dirty and messy. His breathe smelt of alcohol and Cheetos.

"Brooke, can I talk to you? Please!" He pleaded with his ex-girlfriend. "Just give me five minutes and you'll never have to speak to me again."

Lucas instinctively pulled Brooke behind so he could guard her with his body. "What do you want with her?" He said through grated teeth and clinched fists.

"I'm not gonna hurt her! When have I ever put my hands on her?" Nathan took a step toward Lucas. "I was good to her."

Lucas laughed, "Right up until the moment you made out with Haley after the game."

"That was none of your business…" Nathan went to reach for the collar of Lucas' shirt.

Brooke feared for Lucas' safety so she screamed. "That is enough!" She pushed Lucas out of the way and took a step toward Nathan. "What is it that you want? Why would you show up here to my doctor's appointment?"

A feeling of guilt punched Nathan in his gut. "I needed to talk to you. I needed you to just hear me out before you decided you hated me for the rest of your life."

Brooke heard Lucas begin to laugh so she snapped around and held up her index finger in his face. "Enough! Go wait for me in the car, Luke. I will be okay." She rubbed her stomach. "I grant you permission to come to my rescue and beat up Nathan if he puts his hands on me." She said sarcastically.

Lucas hesitated before turning and leaving Brooke alone with Nathan outside of the hospital.

"You want to sit down?" Nathan motioned his hand toward a bench just several feet away from where they were standing.

Brooke nodded once and walked over to have a seat on the bench with him. "What is this about Nathan?"

"You can't marry him, Brooke. I know you don't love him the way you love or loved me…" Nathan began but Brooke cut him off by putting her hand up in the air.

"Question?" Brooke cleared her throat, trying not to laugh. "Why do you think that Lucas and I are getting married?"

Nathan thought back to the awkward run-in in the hallway of their high school right before their first period was supposed to be start. Peyton told him that Brooke and Lucas were going to get married after they had their baby.

"Peyton…" Nathan answered.

Brooke let out a small laugh but cleared her throat again. "She was just suggesting that we go ahead and get married since we already have a baby on the way." She placed her hand over her stomach. "You walked in at the wrong end of that conversation."

Nathan smiled but tried to hide the smile by biting down on his bottom lip. "So there is still a chance for me to win you back?"

"Now I wouldn't go that far." Brooke stopped him.

"So you are with him." Nathan mumbled. "I thought so."

Brooke sighed heavily. "I'm not with Lucas because unlike you, I have true feelings for you and that doesn't go away overnight. Unfortunately feelings only slowly fade over time. But I will be honest with you when I say that I have strong feelings for Luke. I love him, Nate."

"Dammit." Nathan stomped his foot onto the ground to keep himself from punching something.

Lucas watched from the car as Nathan got visibly upset so he stepped out of the car. Brooke held up her hand to Lucas to make him stop where he was. Against his better judgment, Lucas stopped but remained outside of the car.

"I'm sorry but this is how I feel. I have feelings for Lucas and I have feelings for you too." Brooke stood up. "You can't help who you like."

Nathan ran his hand over his face and he took a deep breath to calm himself down. "I'm sorry but I think that is a croak of shit."

"Nathan!" Brooke squealed.

"You like him because he has been there at your side spoiling you during this pregnancy and I haven't." Nathan raised his voice to a yell.

Brooke flinched at the anger in his voice.

"Can't you see what he is doing?" Nathan gently grabbed Brooke by the arms. "He is manipulating you into liking him so you will want to be with him over me because he sees how much you love me."

Once Lucas saw Nathan grab Brooke's arms he began to charge Nathan.

"Stop it." Brooke pushed Nathan away from her. "This is all uncalled for." She grabbed Lucas' hand to stop him from jumping on Nathan and hurting him. "I'm pregnant and this stress is uncalled for. You cheated on me!" Tears began to stream down her cheeks.

"Brooke…" Nathan suddenly softened up toward her. "That was a mistake and I came here today to apologize for that. I love you and I want to be with you not Haley or anyone else."

Brooke squeezed Lucas' hand for support. "I can't do this right now." She turned and began to walk down the sidewalk away from both Lucas and Nathan. "Don't follow me, please. I just need to think" She called back to them as she continued to walk away from them.

"Way to go little brother." Lucas shot his younger brother an angry look.

Nathan laughed. "Right because all of this is my fault! You stole her from me, remember?"

"If you mean impregnating her and being there during the pregnancy then you're wrong." Lucas snapped. "If I remember correctly I was with Brooke when she got pregnant. You took her from me days later after punching me in the nose."

Nathan's thoughts were clouded by the playback of the evening at the River Court with Lucas.

"You can't help who you fall for…" He mumbled.

Lucas rolled his eyes and slammed his brother against the wall. "You don't think until after you do things and I refuse to have that kind of decision making around my son!"

"And you think he'd admire a father who throws his own brother against the wall of a hospital building?" Nathan smirked, the alcohol keeping him from feeling any of the pain from the slam to the brick wall.

"Stay away from Brooke and my child. I swear to god if something happens to her or that baby I will come back and shoot you." He released Nathan and ran toward Brooke's car so he could go find her.

Brooke walked along the sidewalk of the road with no thought in her mind except Nathan and Lucas.

With Lucas she felt safe, secure, and beautiful. She knew she would be able to count on him to be there for her and the baby when she needed him and she knew he had a stable mind set which is great for raising a child. She felt like she'd known Lucas all her life and that he had a true understanding to who she really was.

But with Nathan she felt passionate, excitement, and she felt sexy. Every day with Nathan was a fun filled one but his spontaneous attitude sometimes causes trouble with them and he tends to walk away and disappear whenever he would get upset. She knew she couldn't lean on him in a time of stress and need but when he was there it felt amazing to her and she felt stable.

"Brooke!" A horn honked and Peyton's black Comet pulled up alongside Brooke.

Brooke smiled and climbed into the passenger seat of the vintage car, "It's a boy but I didn't even have time to celebrate finding out my child's gender because of Nathan showed up."

Peyton sped off down the road toward her home. "What happened back there?"

"I was just reminded that I needed to make a decision on who I wanted to be with." Brooke sighed lightly and enjoyed the feel of the fall freeze flowing through her brown ponytail.

"I know this has to be hard on you but do you know who you are going to pick?" Peyton asked.

Brooke looked at Peyton and nodded once, "I think I've always known. I've just gotten confused and distracted along the way but my mind is clear now and I know that I love him. I also know my love for him will never budge no matter how hard I try to make it go away. I just hope after today he still feels the same way about me."

"As long as my nephew is happy then I'm happy." Peyton reached over and rubbed Brooke's stomach. "I support whatever decision you decide to make."


	21. Chapter 21

"What am I gonna do if the incident at the hospital changed his mind about being with me?" Brooke paced back and forth along the front of Peyton's bedroom. "Only god knows what happened between him and his brother after I left!"

Peyton looked up from drawing in her drawing pad. "You just have to relax. He has proven that he loves you and that kind of love never seem to die quickly if at all."

Brooke finally decided to sit down on the bed after tripping for the third time over her clothes that had been thrown out onto Peyton's bedroom floor. "I've never been nervous around him but all of a sudden I want to puke my guts out at the thought of admitting how much I am in love with him!"

"It's probably because you're four months pregnant." Peyton gently gave Brooke's round stomach a poke. "Are you sure you aren't having twins?"

"Peyton!" Brooke squealed at her best friend and playfully pushed her over. "That is so not funny."

"Then why are you laughing?" Peyton asked with a smirk. She was trying to distract Brooke from the stress she was putting herself under with finally choosing which Scott brother she wanted to be with once and for all.

Brooke laughed but let out a gasp as a familiar horn went off in Peyton's driveway. Both Peyton and Brooke peeked out of Peyton's window.

"He's here!" Brooke took a deep breath. "Peyton, he is here!"

Peyton laughed. "I heard you the first time, Brooke. Go get him and tell him how you feel and that you're sorry for everything that has happened between the two of you lately."

Brooke squealed and shook out her hands. "Okay, I'm ready for this. I'm ready for him to be in my life!"

She carefully raced down the wooden steps of Peyton's home and darted outside toward her car where Lucas was standing with her car keys. After the incident at the hospital, Lucas drove around town searching for Brooke until he got a call from her saying she wanted to meet up with him at Peyton's home where she had been staying since her mother kicked her out for being pregnant.

"I brought you your car like you asked me to." Lucas handed Brooke the car keys. "You think Peyton would mind giving me a ride home?"

Brooke bit down on her bottom lip. "Well I was hoping you'd want to come in and hang out with me for a little bit."

"I thought you might want a break from me after what happened with Nathan at the hospital?" Lucas asked.

Brooke shook her head and smiled. "It's Nathan that I need a break from but it's you, Luke. It's always been you!"

"What?" Lucas asked, confused.

Brooke sighed and took Lucas' hands into her own. "I had a moment of clarity after seeing Nathan at the hospital." She took a deep breath before continuing. "I smelt that alcohol on his breath and I knew every argument and fight we would ever have in the future as a couple will result in this!"

"You mean him disappearing and drinking it all away until it doesn't exist?" Lucas asked with a nod. He was happy that Brooke was finally able to see what he had been seeing in his brother.

"Yes and then I looked at you." She gently took his face into her hands. "And I saw a flash forward of you holding our son and me watching lovingly from the doorway. I also saw you jumping on the bed with him when he got older and me jumping in!"

"That actually sounds like a lot of fun." Lucas laughed.

Brooke couldn't help but laugh along with him. "It does sound fun! But it also sounds like the kind of future that I want to have with my son and his father. I want a happy and stable future with the man that I am madly in love with."

"You also love Nathan, though." Lucas sighed.

Brooke shook her head. "I will always have love for Nathan and I will always love him but I am no longer in love with him."

Lucas' knees buckled underneath him but he caught himself from falling to the ground. Brooke laughed at his near accident.

"Are you okay?" She squealed.

Lucas laughed and wrapped his arms around Brooke. "I thought I was dreaming so I had to do something drastic to wake myself up but it turns out I'm not dreaming. You actually did just say you were in love with me!"

Brooke smiled and brushed her lips against his lips. "I'm so very much in love with you, Lucas Eugene Scott."

Tires screeched nearby and it forced the couple out of their loving embrace with one another.

Peyton came running from the house. "Did you see that?"

Before Peyton could finish explaining what she'd just saw from her bedroom window, a loud crash and boom shook the concrete of Peyton's driveway.

"Stay here with Peyton, Brooke!" Lucas said before he turned and took off running down the sidewalk.

"We should probably call 9-1-1 because that did not sound good at all." Brooke began to dig her cellphone out of the pocket of her jeans. "Should I?"

Peyton held up her index finger and walked to the end of her driveway. "Oh. My. God!"

From the edge of the driveway, Peyton could see that the truck she'd seen driving by her house had crashed into an electric pole and that the electric wires were beginning to hang down low near the car. Smoke came flooding out of the hood of the car as Lucas swatted it away with his coat.

Brooke joined Peyton at the end of the driveway and her eyes popped out at the sight of the accident. "I'm totally calling 9-1-1 right now!"

Lucas continued to fan away the smoke but he fell backwards once the car's engine caught on fire. He could not yet see who the driver of the truck was through the thick black smoke coming from the hood of the car.

He could hear Brooke calling out his name from down the street but he didn't want to waste his oxygen by screaming back to her that he was fine.

Once he got close enough to reach the driver side door he got his first glimpse at who the driver of the truck was through the cracked window. It was his younger half brother, Nathan Scott.

"Nathan!" Lucas became to scream but as he did, he felt a sudden heaviness on his chest. "Nathan!" He screamed again, pushing past the pain, but as he tried to pull open the door the pain in his chest grew. The last thing he heard before everything went black were sirens getting closer.

"We got two males here. One is lying outside of the car." One of the fire fighters said into his radio. "Send an extra ambulance for the kid in the car."

Brooke heard the end of the rescuer's sentence. "Why do you need two ambulances? Were there two people in the car?"

"There is a kid who passed out in the street and it seems that he was trying to help the kid inside of the car get out but didn't succeed before he passed out." The fight fighter informed her. "Do you by any chance know either of the victims? Maybe you could identify them for us?"

"Lucas?" Brooke screamed at the top of her lungs as she watched the paramedics carry Lucas' body toward the waiting ambulance. "Lucas!" She screamed after him again.

"What happened to him?" Peyton ran over to Brooke after hearing her scream out her boyfriend's name.

The fire fighter scratched the top of his head. "Do you the two of you know him?"

Peyton pursed her lips together and tilted her head to the side. "Obviously we know him if she is standing her screaming out his name at the top of her lungs! What happened to him?" She asked again.

"Your friend had a heart ache while trying to help the victim in the car accident." The fire fighter ignored Peyton's attitude.

"How is that possible?" Brooke asked. "Lucas is only seventeen years old!"

The fire fighter searched the scene of the accident for an excuse to get away from the two teenage girls questioning him. "You have to ask one of the paramedics. I only cure fires not diseases or defects." He raced off to help his coworkers clear out the smoke coming from the building fire.

Peyton caught Brooke as Brooke's knees gave out on her. "Brooke, are you okay? Please don't faint on me!"

"How is this happening right now? The father of my child just had a heart attack because he was trying to help some guy out of his car?" Brooke shook her head in disbelief as the dizziness slowly faded away. "The guy in that car better be Jesus!"

Chaos became to occur again as they freed Nathan from his burning car.

"I recognize this kid." One of the fire fighters called out as they handed Nathan over to the paramedics. "That's the mayor's son…" The male snapped his fingers together near his ear to recall the boy's name. "Nathan Scott!"

Brooke's mouth dropped open as she heard the firefighter identify the driver of the truck. "Did he just say that the driver is Nathan? My Nathan?" Her bottom lip began to quiver.

"Oh, Brooke." Peyton wrapped her arms around Brooke and held her close to her. "You shouldn't be witnessing any of this right now."

Brooke pushed away from Peyton. "Can you take me to the hospital?"

"Is everything okay?" Peyton touched Brooke's round stomach. "I knew this was going to be too much stress on you and the baby."

Brooke shook her head. "I just want to see Lucas! I have to make sure that he is going to be okay." She pulled out her phone and began to dial the number of Lucas' mother, Karen Scott.

When Brooke arrived at the hospital Karen was waiting for her in the waiting room. It was obvious that Karen was distraught over the news that her son had been admitted to the emergency room after suffering from a heart attack.

"Karen?" Brooke called out to the older woman.

Karen whirled around on the heel of her ballet flats. "Brooke, are you okay?"

Brooke nodded once. "Did they give you any news on Lucas' condition? Is he going to be okay after the heart attack?"

Karen's eyes fell onto her feet as she tried to figure out a way to tell Brooke about the bad news she'd received from the doctor shortly after arriving to the hospital.

"It doesn't look good for Lucas." Karen mumbled as she fought back tears. "His heart is struggling to keep him alive and as of right now they don't think he is going to make it through the night."

Brooke fell onto the floor of the waiting room as tears began to stream down her burning pink cheeks. "This can't be happening to him right now." She sobbed violently on the floor.

Karen sat down on the floor next to Brooke. "We just have to pray and have faith that the doctors are wrong about him. Lucas is a strong young man and he can pull through this, but we can't give up on that faith in his recovery."

Brooke began to nod her head slowly but she remained quiet.

"What about Nathan?" Peyton asked, knowing it was on Brooke's mind. "Has he gotten in yet?"

Karen cleared her throat. "He is in pretty bad shape as well. He needs a blood transfusion to help him survive and his body is pretty banged up but he will survive without a doubt."

"Excuse me." Brooke picked up herself up from the waiting room floor and she scurried off down the hallway toward the elevator.

She found herself at the door of the hospital's chapel. The small room was empty so she chose to sit in the first row to pray for the father of her unborn child.

"God…" Brooke began her prayer after clasping her hands together. "Please don't take Lucas away from me and our son. Keith, please look over Lucas and help him pull through this." She prayed through her tears. "Please! I need him more than you know."

"Brooke…" Haley walked into the chapel and found Brooke with her eyes closed and her palms together. "I'm sorry if I interrupted your prayer."

Brooke sat up straight and fixed her sweater. "It's okay. I was just finishing up anyways."

"I just wanted to thank you for calling me about Nathan's accident." Haley took a seat next to Brooke in the front row. "I know you didn't have to do that for me but thanks anyway."

Brooke shrugged her shoulders. "I just figured he'd want you to be the first person he saw when he got out of surgery."

"I'm so sorry about Lucas." Haley grabbed Brooke's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I know Lucas loves you and this baby."

Brooke bit down on her lip to fight back the tears that were beginning to sting the back of her brown eyes. "None of that matters if he never gets to actually meet his son."

"It's a boy?" Haley squealed. "I always saw Lucas having a son as his first child. I know you wanted a girl though."

"I wasn't hoping for a certain gender." Brooke shook her head. "I just wanted a healthy baby, but now all I want is a healthy Lucas."

"He is going to pull through this, Brooke." Haley pulled Brooke into a hug. "He would never give up the chance to see you again and to meet his son for the first time. Everything is going to work itself out."

"How can everyone be so sure?" Brooke melted into Haley's arms. "When things look so negative, how can everyone be so sure that everything will magically work itself out?"

Haley pulled away from her hug with Brooke to look her in the eyes. "Because we've all been through so much heartache and heart break but in the end it all works out the way it's supposed to."

"I thought your life was simple and fun?" Brooke asked sarcastically. "What heartache and heart break have you been dealing with?"

Haley rolled her eyes and laughed. "I wish my life was simple but Nathan and I have been going through a rough patch named Brooke Davis." She held up her hand to stop Brooke from saying anything else. "I see the way he looks at you and I know how he feels about you, but in the end of the day he tells me how much he needs me and I believe him. Stupid huh?"

"Not stupid at all." Brooke said. "Nathan loves you but he is having a rough time letting go of the past. I went through the very same thing with holding onto Nathan because of how much fun we had together."

"What happened? How did you finally end things with Nathan?" Haley questioned.

Brooke shrugged her shoulders. "I know that if someone loves you then they have no ability to kiss or sleep with another person because that isn't love. If Nathan loved me like he said he did then he wouldn't have even thought about hooking up with you even if kissing is all you two did."

"I'm sorry about that by the way." Haley apologized.

Brooke shook her head and frowned. "It helped me see what was always in front of me. Lucas never left my side and he stood by me through it all. That is love and what Nathan and I have now isn't the kind of love that a couple has for one another. We aren't in love with each other anymore! He just has to let go of the times we shared with one another." She looked at Haley. "Don't give up on him, Hales."

The door to the chapel swung open and Peyton raced inside.

"Brooke!" Peyton called out to her best friend, breathlessly. "It's Lucas, come quick."


	22. Chapter 22

"Lucas? Lucas!" A familiar was whispering off in the distance.

Lucas tried his best to peel open his eyes but he felt as if they were glued shut until he recognized the voice calling out his name to him.

"Keith?" Lucas' blue eyes popped open and he sat up. When he sat up he realized that he'd been lying on the ground. "Keith?" Lucas scrambled to get up off of the ground. "Where are you?"

Keith Scott walked into Lucas' view. "Hello nephew!"

"How am I seeing you right now?" Lucas asked confused because his Uncle Keith died several months ago in a school shooting that also left his old friend, Jimmy Edwards dead.

Keith smirked but gave his shoulders a light shrug. "Maybe you're dead too?"

"I can't be dead I'm about to have a baby with Brooke." Lucas said through grated teeth. "What happened to me?" He began to look around but noticed that the street was nearly empty except a few rubber pieces of tire lying in the street.

Keith kneeled down to pick up one of the burnt pieces of rubber. "You don't remember what happened here?" He tossed the rubber to his nephew.

As Lucas caught the rubber, all of his memories began to flood his mind. "I was trying to save Nathan from his car because it was on fire."

"Always the hero!" Keith said proudly. "But sometimes that can get you in major trouble."

Lucas laughed sarcastically. "Obviously since I'm supposedly dead now!" He tossed the piece of rubber as far as he could and he watched it soar in the air only to fall a few feet away from where he had thrown it.

"Relax, Luke. You're not dead yet." Keith gave Lucas a strong pat on the shoulder. "You're survival depends on the choices you make in just a few moments."

"Well I choose to live!" Lucas said with no hesitation. "There is no way I'm leaving Brooke alone at a time like this and my mom has no one left but me and Haley."

Keith began to nod his head slowly. "But are you sure they are going to be alone once you're gone?"

"What does that mean?" Lucas asked.

Keith began to walk away from his nephew but he looked over his shoulder and smiled. "You coming nephew?"

Lucas ran to catch up with his uncle but his running came to a stop as they went from walking along the street to walking in the hallways of the hospital.

Keith stopped at one of the windows to a particular hospital room.

"You ready to switch?" Lucas heard Haley's voice so he joined his uncle at the window to the room. Inside of the room laid Nathan with Brooke sitting at his bed side while Haley stood at the foot of his bed.

Brooke sighed heavily and stood up from her position at Nathan's bed side. "I haven't seen Lucas in a few hours, so sure we can switch now." She leaned over Nathan's motionless body and kissed his warm forehead. "Please wake up for us soon!"

Haley held her arms out in the air for Brooke to hug her.

Lucas was surprised to see Brooke stepped into Haley's hug and even more surprised as Brooke melted into Haley's arms with ease. "What is this?" He asked Keith.

"It's been three days since your heart attack and you have surprised all the doctors by staying alive." Keith began to explain. "But Nathan has disappointed the doctors by not waking up since his surgery three days."

Lucas tried to reach for Brooke's hand once she left Nathan's hospital room but felt as if a barrier was blocking him from touching her. "Has she been here every day?"

Keith nodded his head once and began to follow Brooke down the hallway of the hospital. "Brooke and Haley take turns sitting at you and Nathan's bedsides. Haley loves you and so does Brooke so they want to share you as much as possible in case you don't make it."

Both men stopped as Brooke closed the door to Lucas' hospital room.

Lucas flinched when he saw his own body lying motionless in a hospital bed. His heart broke as he watched Brooke gently wake up his sleeping mother.

"Karen?" Brooke whispered to the older woman. "It's time to go home so you can get a shower and eat something other than this gross hospital food."

Karen slowly emerged from her deep sleep on the couch resting in the corner of the large hospital room. "You sure you don't want to come home first?"

"Peyton gave me a ride home earlier." Brooke shook her head and motioned toward her fresh set of clothes and washed hair. "Go and take a break from staying in the hospital."

Karen sighed heavily. "Call me if anything changes?"

"You know I always will!" Brooke smiled and brushed the woman's messy raven colored hair from her eyes. "Go take some Karen time."

Lucas' head dropped as his mother exited his hospital room. "She has been here every day too, hasn't she?"

"She is your mother, Lucas." Keith answered simply. "But Brooke has quickly become like a daughter to her so she has been in good company here with Brooke and Haley."

Lucas slapped the glass window of the hospital room's window. "Why does this have to happen to me?" He yelled as his anger became to build up. "What have I ever done to deserve this? If this is where being good gets you then why do I want to be good anymore?"

Keith placed his hand on his nephew's shoulder and forced him to look him in the eye. "You being the way you are is the reason why your friends have good lives. Please trust me when I say that."

He began to make his way out of the hospital behind Karen and Lucas followed behind him instinctively.

"Where are we going?" Lucas asked.

Keith stopped after taking a few more steps and he nodded toward a large white beach home. "Go inside!"

"I've never seen this place before in my life." Lucas hesitated but eventually began to make his way up the stairs of the large home.

Once he was inside he instantly began to hear arguing and he instantly recognized the voice that was doing majority of the yelling.

"Why can't you just admit to me that you still love her?" Haley yelled to Nathan as Nathan sat still in a wheelchair. "You spend more time at her home with her son than you do with me and our son!" She picked up a picture frame holding a picture of her family with Nathan. "You have a beautiful family right here." She threw the picture frame at him.

The frame broke into pieces at Lucas' feet. "What is this?" He asked.

"This is Haley and Nathan's life as a married couple just four years after graduating high school." Keith explained. "Nathan recovered from the accident and went back to having a successful basketball career, but suffered an accident after getting into a fight. Someone accused him of killing his brother, Lucas Scott."

Nathan began to roll his wheelchair out past Lucas and Keith as well as his four year old son who stood in the doorway.

"When did they have a baby?" Lucas stared at the little boy who stood with pain in his eyes.

Keith kneeled down in front of the little boy and shook his head. "They had Lucas a year after Brooke had Jamie."

"So this all happened because I died from my heart attack? or did I live and turn into a jack ass?" Lucas asked as he took in the scene happening around him. Haley was slumped over on the couch crying while her son watched in horror.

"After you died Brooke became a single mother and Nathan stepped up and assumed the role as father to your son." Keith led Lucas out into the back yard where Nathan was peeling himself out of the wheelchair. "But after falling back in love with one another, Brooke felt too guilty and left town so Nathan ran back to Haley. Nathan and Haley got married and soon after they had Lucas but Brooke just came back into town after being gone for several years."

Lucas turned to his uncle. "Why did Brooke feel guilty about falling in love with Nathan?"

"That is a totally different story." Keith led Lucas out of the gated backyard and they ended up in the town's graveyard where Brooke stood at a grave with her five year old son standing at her side.

"Wow she looks beautiful." Lucas said breathlessly as moved closer but was stopped in his tracks when he saw the name on the headstone of the grave Brooke was standing at. "This is my grave!"

Keith sat down on a nearby bench. "Brooke visits your grave almost every day during her lunch break at the boutique. She hasn't been able to let you go and it has affected her tremendously as well as her relationships."

"Has she found someone else?" Lucas took a seat next to Keith on the bench.

Keith nodded toward a young man standing just a few feet away at another grave. "She found Julian Baker, but she won't commit to him and marry him because he reminds her too much of you. It makes her feel even more guilty for falling in love again after you."

"That's not what I want for her! I want her to be happy with or without me there." Lucas said angrily. "How is my son?"

Keith smiled brightly. "He has all of your qualities and it makes Brooke sad to watch him grow more and more like you every day. For a while she fell into a deep depression after Jamie learned to talk."

"All because he talks like me?" Lucas guessed. "What about Peyton?" He asked as she found her mother's grave nearby. "Did my passing affect her at all?" He wondered.

Keith shook his head. "At first Peyton felt the need to be there and care for Brooke and Jamie but after a while she couldn't handle it anymore and she left Tree Hill for good to start a record company and open a line of clubs called Tric."

"At least one person is doing okay; although, I don't think I agree with her abandoning Brooke and Jamie the way she did." Lucas looked up at the tree that was shading their bench area.

"It sounds like you've made your decision." Keith stood up from his spot on the bench. "But before you go you need to know the truth about my death."

Lucas frowned in confusion. "I know that Jimmy killed you in the hallway that day! What more do I need to know?"

Keith shook his head but refrained from becoming angry. "That is what he wanted everyone to think. He framed Jimmy for my death."

Everything went black but there was soon light again as Keith and Lucas ended up in the middle of Tree Hill High. The same hallway where Jimmy Edwards shot himself and Dan Scott shot his brother to death only to frame the suicidal teenager.

"Open your eyes, Luke." Keith turned to face his nephew. "You knew Jimmy since preschool and you knew he could not even kill a spider that bit him on the leg."

Lucas smiled at the memory but shook his head. "What are you trying to say Keith? Are you saying that Jimmy didn't kill you?"

"Open your eyes, Luke." Keith repeated himself. "All the answers lay ahead of you if you just open your eyes to see them. They are all there!"

Keith suddenly disappeared from the school's hallway as the school's bell startled Lucas.

"Keith?" Lucas yelled at the same time as another voice.

This caught Lucas' attention and forced him to turn around. When he did he saw his father standing a few feet away from him while pointing a gun at his chest.

"I'm sorry brother." Dan said before the gun went off.

Lucas began to fall backwards but he suddenly woke up in the hospital bed.

"Lucas?" Haley jumped up from her seat at his bedside. "Lucas!" She squealed as she found Lucas staring up at her.

A smile stretched across Lucas' dry lips as he made out the face of his best friend standing over him.

"I'll go run and get a nurse." Haley turned to leave but Lucas weakly grabbed her by the wrist.

"Stay with me." Lucas croaked out of his dry throat.

Haley dug a water bottle from her overnight bag and she squirted water down his throat before climbing into the bed with him. "I'm so glad you beat all of the odds and woke up."

"Of course I had to beat the odds! You think I'd miss a chance to apologize to my best friend for being a jerk?" Lucas said with a weak smile and dry cough.

Haley rested her head on Lucas' chest. "I'm the one who should be apologizing to you! I let Nathan come between us and I'm sorry for that. I should have been a better best friend."

Lucas smiled and kissed the top of Haley's head. "That goes for the both of us but let's put it behind us now." He cleared his throat before sipping on more water. "Where is Brooke?"

Haley looked up at Lucas. "She is with Nathan in his room. He finally woke up several hours ago."

"I wanna go see her!" Lucas cleared his throat again.

Haley sat up in the bed and turned to face him. "You just had a heart attack a few days ago! You can't just be walking around the hospital."

"Haley, I just want to see how my girlfriend and baby are doing." Lucas began to pull the covers off of himself.

Haley stood up from the bed and crossed her arms over her chest. "You mean you just want to see your girlfriend interact with her ex-boyfriend who just so happens to be roomed in the same hospital right down the hall?"

"Haley, please!" Lucas pleaded with his best friend. "Can I just go see my girlfriend before I have nurses and doctors hovering over me?"

Haley rolled her eyes and left the room. She returned several moments later with a wheelchair she'd found in the hallway of the hospital. "I hope no one needed this more than you." She said sarcastically.

Lucas pulled himself up from the bed and with Haley's help made his way into the wheelchair. Haley wheeled Lucas down the hallway toward Nathan's hospital room. As Haley went to open the door, Lucas stopped her.

"Let's just peek in the window instead." Lucas said.

As he sat looking into the window, Lucas remembered seeing his Uncle Keith.

"You okay?" Haley asked him after several moments of no movement from Lucas in the wheelchair.

Lucas shook out his head. "Have you ever had a dream that in the moment it felt like it was actually happening?"

Haley began to nod her head. "We all have dreams like that. I think they are meant to tell us something or open or eyes to something that we are missing. You know something that could be standing right in front of us?" She kept her eyes on Nathan rubbing Brooke's stomach."

_"Open your eyes!"_ These words echoed in Lucas' head. "I think Keith is trying to tell me something."

"He is trying to tell you something about Nathan and Brooke?" Haley asked.

Lucas peeled his eyes away from the profile of Brooke's face and he shot Haley a serious look. "I think Keith is trying to tell me that Jimmy Edwards didn't kill him."

Haley frowned up in confusion. "Then who did? Jimmy was the only one in the hallway besides you."

"Dan." Lucas answered simply before turning his attention back onto his brother and his girlfriend.

Knowing that his father killed his beloved uncle only made him trust his younger brother less. Nathan was known to take after Dan while Lucas took after Keith. It made his blood boil to see Brooke take care of him during his time of need because he knew Nathan could turn on Brooke at any moment like he had in the past.

"It explains a lot." Lucas thought out loud. "Now I know where Nathan gets all of his anger from and I refuse to have that around my son or Brooke and if you were smart then you'd run too, Hales."


	23. Chapter 23

"Lucas, I need you right now." Brooke cried into her phone as she tried to reach her boyfriend, but only got his answering machine.

Shadows of her things being thrown around could be seen in the light of the moon as Brooke sat on the front porch of her large white home that she shared with her mother and father.

"If she wants to be a whore and get pregnant at seventeen then she can!" Victoria yelled to her husband, "But since she wants to keep this bastard child then she can raise it elsewhere. I refuse to allow such a disgrace happen underneath my roof or be apart of my family."

"Luke, please answer your phone!" Brooke continued to cry as she redialed Lucas' phone number. "Please!" She pleaded as she waited for him to pick up the phone.

It had been a week since both Lucas and Nathan had been released from the hospital after being kept there in recovery for two weeks due to severe injuries both brothers suffered from after Nathan's accident and Lucas' heart attack. Brooke spent most of her time at the hospital with Nathan and Lucas so she did not notice when her mother and father reunited and moved back to Tree Hill to be together. They'd noticed her baby bump after spotting her walking down the street earlier in the day.

Her mother wanted her to abort the baby but since it had been medically too late for an adoption; Victoria wanted her to give it up for adopt while her father had no opinion on the matter. Brooke refused to give her child up for adoption and she would have gone through with the abortion.

"Get out of my house and never come back Do you hear me?." Victoria screamed at her emotional daughter. "Consider yourself disowned by this family. You are out of the will."

Brooke picked herself up off of the marble porch steps and walked away from the house without any of her belongings nor her car. She disappeared into the dark of the night and ended up on the front porch of Nathan Scott's apartment.

After the accident, Nathan's parents began to argue a lot and it began to affect him so he pulled himself out of the situation and emancipated himself from his parents' custody. He got himself an apartment after taking a page from Brooke's page, and saving up money from his allowance before he moved out.

Brook hesitated before she pounded her fist gently against the door. Nathan opened the door after the first two knocks and was surprised to find Brooke on the other side of his door.

"Brooke?" Nathan wiped his sleepy eyes to make sure he was seeing clearly. "What are you doing here?"

Brooke sighed and dropped her head. "I know it's late but my parents found out I was pregnant and Victoria threw me out with all of my things but I didn't take any of it because I didn't want to feel like I owed her anything." Her bottom lip became to quiver as she fought back tears.

Nathan pulled Brooke inside of his apartment and held her close to his chest. "Please don't cry! You can stay here tonight and I'll just sleep on the couch."

Brooke began to nod her head slowly. "Are you sure? I don't want to be a burden on you and I could always go interrupt Peyton's time with her dad and stay there with them…"

Nathan interrupted Brooke's sentence. "You will never be a burden to me nor will your son." He motioned toward the kitchen. "You want to talk over some ice cream?"

Brooke's lips became to pull up in the corners to form a smile. "You know me so well Nathan Scott. I would love that more than anything right now!"

Over ice cream, she explained to him everything that had taken place that led up to her being kicked out of her home by her mother. She included every vivid detail of her mother pulling her off of the street and into the car only to take her home and kick her out.

"You've had a rough night." Nathan handed Brooke one of his tee shirts. "But like I promised, you can stay here until you are able to get an apartment of your own." He turned around to allow Brooke to get changed.

Brooke slipped out of her sweat suit and pulled his long black Aerosmith concert tee-shirt over her head. "You're still the same sweet guy you've always been with me, Nathan." She climbed into his bed and got underneath the sheets. "You sure you want to sleep on the couch?"

Nathan turned around and smiled at the sight of Brooke lying in his bed while wearing his tee shirt. "It would be highly inappropriate for us to sleep in the same bed."

Brooke propped herself up on her elbows. "It's not like we're actually going to have sex together. I saw how small your couch is and I also see how tall you are so I'm offering you the other side of the bed." She motioned her hand toward the empty side of the queen sized mattress.

Nathan bit down on his lip before he decided to take Brooke up on her offer. He had been dreading since her arrival to his apartment sleeping on his small living room couch.

"I'll even put up chastity pillows for us to make it even more innocent than it already is!" Brooke laughed and placed a pillow between them.

[**The next morning**]

The sun began to shine in Nathan's face and he began to groan at the bright light in his eyes. He sat up in the bed to find the other half of the bed empty and made up. Had last night all been a really good dream?

"Rise and shine sleepy head." Brooke walked into the bedroom with a plate of food for the jock. "You have to hurry and eat breakfast before we are late for school."

Nathan frowned in confusion as his ex-girlfriend brought him breakfast in bed. "What is all of this?" He gratefully took the plate off of her hands.

Brooke shrugged her shoulders and sat down on the edge of the bed. "I wanted to thank you for allowing me to stay here with you and after school today I should have a chance to go buy some clothes for myself as well as look at apartments all weekend."

"No rush." Nathan said with a mouthful of food.

"Have you seen Brooke?" Lucas walked up to Haley in the parking lot of their high school. "She left me a bunch of voicemails last night and now I'm worried about her."

Haley shifted her backpack onto her shoulders and pulled out her cellphone. "Nope I haven't seen Brooke since your doctor's appointment yesterday." She began to dial Nathan's number. "Have you seen Nathan? I haven't been able to get in touch with him since then either."

Lucas' eyes widened and his teeth clinched together as he watched Nathan open his passenger side car door to let Brooke out of his new Mustang.

"Luke?" Haley looked up from her cellphone and followed Lucas' eye sight toward Nathan's black mustang sitting parked just several spaces away. "Well Brooke seems to be fine and so does Nathan!"

Brooke waved when she caught sight of Lucas standing with Haley. "Hey guys." She raced over to them and planted a kiss upon Lucas' lips.

"You seem happy." Lucas noted about Brooke's bright smile. "You had me worried after all those voicemails you left on my phone. What happened?"

Brooke rolled her chocolate brown eyes and sighed heavily. "My mom went crazy after she found out about me being pregnant then she kicked me out for being such a slut and a disgrace to the Davis name."

Lucas instantly began to feel bad. "I'm so sorry I couldn't be there for you during all of that…"

Brooke shook her head and placed her index finger over his lips. "You are still recovering from your heart attack and I can't expect you to drop everything and come running to save me from all of my problems."

"But as your boyfriend and soon to be father of your child, it is my job to save you from everything." Lucas said.

"Well if it makes you feel any better Nathan was a perfect shoulder for me to cry on last night." Brooke smiled and nudged Nathan in his side. "He managed to make me have fun despite of what is going on in my life."

Nathan smiled proudly but his smiled soon disappeared as he caught a glimpse at his girlfriend's jealous facial expression. He wrapped an arm around Haley's shoulders. "We all better get going to first period before the bell rings." Nathan began to pull Haley in the direction of the school building.

"So where did you stay last night?" Lucas asked as he made his way toward his first period with Brooke.

"I stayed with Nathan last night and I'm staying with him until I can find an apartment that I can afford with what I've saved up." Brooke answered him.

Lucas choked on a laugh. "You've been staying with him and you're going to continue to stay with him?"

"Does that bother you? You know my heart is with you and or family." Brooke caressed her stomach.

"I don't trust Nathan and I don't want you to be around him." Lucas said angrily.

Brooke stopped walking and placed her hands on her hips. "Why don't you trust Nathan? What has he done to you to make you not trust him?"

"Why are you defending him?" Lucas asked.

Brooke laughed in disbelief. "It's not defending him because I'm in love with him. I'm defending him because he was there for me last night when I needed someone and he has been nothing but sweet and caring since the accident. He has apologized to us numerous amounts of times and at least I have forgiven him." She walked past Lucas and left him standing in the middle of the hallway by himself.

Lucas punched a nearby locker after watching Brooke walk away from him. He didn't want to lose Brooke due to his lack of trust for his younger brother, but he couldn't trust Nathan knowing how Dan killed his uncle in cold blood. History tends to repeat itself with the Scott family.

"Hey Brooke. You okay?" Nathan walked up to Brooke during their lunch break.

She'd been sitting outside in the courtyard alone while her food remained untouched on her tray. Her facial expression read dazed and confused, but she was forced out of her daze by Nathan's presence.

"Lucas and I had an argument this morning and I'm still confused by it." Brooke frowned. "It keeps playing in my head over and over again."

Nathan took a seat across from Brooke at the table made of stone. "What was it about?"

"He said he doesn't trust you." Brooke's pout deepened. "And I'm confused as to why he doesn't trust you because he said he forgave you the first and the fifth time you apologized to him at the hospital, and you didn't really do anything worth us not trusting you since then."

Nathan began to frown as well. "Maybe he doesn't trust my feelings for you or your feelings for me."

"What feelings? We've both moved on from one another." Brooke rolled her eyes. "Lucas should know that I would never cheat on him. Our family is more important to me than anything else in this world."

Nathan nodded his head slowly. "Trust is the most important part of a relationship and without it a relationship will just crumble."

Brooke smirked. "So does Haley trust you again?"

"Of course she does!" Nathan said with a reassuring smile. "Why wouldn't she?"

"So she wouldn't be bothered if she walked by right now and saw me hugging you?" Brooke got up from her seat at the table to wrap her arms around her ex-boyfriend.

"Nope but I think Lucas looks pretty damn mad right now." Nathan nodded his head in the direction of Lucas who was standing on the sidewalk watching Brooke hug Nathan.

Brooke instantly pulled away from her hug with Nathan and locked eyes with her angry boyfriend.

Lucas began to storm off toward the parking lot of the high school, and Brooke ran after him.

"Luke!" Brooke held her stomach as she ran. "Lucas Eugene Scott, please don't make me run while I'm five months pregnant with your son."

Lucas whirled around on the heel of his boot to face her. "What was that back there?" He pointed in the direction of the school's courtyard where Brooke had been sitting with Nathan.

"I was just giving a friend a hug as a thank you." Brooke explained. "You never get bothered when I hug other guys so why are you so bothered by me hugging him?" She questioned.

Lucas laughed. "May be because you've dated him in the past and you've admitted to being in love with him!"

"In the past is the phrase that sticks out to me here." Brooke rolled her eyes. "You have to trust me around Nathan especially since I'm staying with him now."

"So you are still staying with him? Even after I made it known that it makes me uncomfortable and that I don't trust him?" Lucas began to shout.

Brooke's hands flew up in the air. "Where else am I supposed to stay? Peyton is a little preoccupied with spending time with her father before he leaves for another three months and I am not getting in the middle of that reunion slash goodbye."

"I thought you said you had enough money saved up for an apartment?" Lucas asked.

"I do but I have to still find one! That tends to take longer than just one day." Brooke began to get upset with him. "Why don't you trust Nathan? What did he ever do to you? Kill your best friend?"

Lucas flinched at Brooke's words. "I don't want you staying with him."

"Well that is tough because I am staying with him for as long as I need too." Brooke crossed her arms over her chest.

"As long as you are around him you won't be around me." Lucas began to walk off but Brooke grabbed his hand to stop him.

"You can't be serious?" Brooke squealed. "Why are you making me choose between the two of you?"

Lucas shook his head. "I'm not making you chose but you've already chosen by deciding to keep staying with him even after I've voiced my concerns about the situation." He snatched his hand away from her hold and walked off.

"Lucas!" Brooke called after him but nothing stopped him from getting in his car and driving out of the parking lot.


	24. Chapter 24

Lucas got up from his place on the wooden bench outside of his door. He turned to face his pregnant girlfriend, "Cover your eyes! I will guide you inside to your surprise." He offered her his hand.

Brooke squealed and slapped her palm against his. "I love surprises! Especially your surprises because they are always exciting." She closed her eyes tight and allowed for Lucas to guide her inside of his bedroom.

"On the count of three I want you to open your eyes." Lucas began to count. "One. Two. Three!"

Brooke slowly began to peel her eyes open and she gasped as she looked around. Sitting in Lucas' bedroom was all the things she'd left behind at her parents' house when they kicked her out. "But how?"

Lucas shrugged his shoulders but kept his eyes on her face to catch every second of her reaction. "You told me that you didn't have any of your clothes or belongings anymore since you were kicked out so I figured I would drop by your house and pick them up from your parents."

"You confronted my parents for my stuff?" She shook her head in disbelief with her mouth dropped open.

Lucas chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "I planned on it but then I found your stuff sitting on the curb with people picking through it and taking stuff for themselves so I just took all that was left which was most of it as you can see." He motioned around his medium sized bedroom.

"What is it all doing in your room?" Brooke's fingers grazed the surface of her doll house that was a replica of her real home.

"I talked to my mom about our situation and she agreed to let you stay in my room while I sleep on the couch since we aren't allowed to share a room until we are married." Lucas explained. "She went through the same thing with her parents when she got pregnant with me and she doesn't want to see you struggle like she did and neither do I."

Brooke began to tear up as she reached her arms out to hug him. "I love you for this, Lucas Scott! I really wish you didn't have to sleep on the couch though." She pulled at a button on his shirt.

Lucas smiled and shook his head. "I don't mind as long as my child is nice and comfortable as well as his mother." He caressed Brooke's round stomach with his hand.

"We should get married." Brooke blurted out.

Lucas laughed. "Just to share a bed? Don't you think that is a bit crazy and dramatic!"

"No! I don't want to marry you just to share a bed. I want to marry you so we can become a family." Brooke gently bumped him with her stomach. "What if I want to have the same last name as my son and his father without marrying your brother?"

Lucas' smile disappeared from his face as he realized that Brooke was being serious about them getting married. "I think I need to sit down." He pulled her over to his bed and sat down before pulling her down onto his lap.

"I know what you are going say!" She placed her index finger over his lips. "Are you crazy? We are way too young to be getting married and Karen would never allow that to happen under her roof!"

Lucas' mouth closed as Brooke said everything he had been thinking in his mind. "Why all of a sudden do you want to get married?"

"I told you, Luke…" Brooke sighed heavily. "Because I want us to be a family and I know that I want to be with you forever."

Lucas nodded slowly as he processed the idea of them actually getting married. "You wouldn't mind being a pregnant teenage bride?"

Brooke choked on a laugh but cleared her throat. "Well when you put it like that…"

Lucas laughed and laced their fingers together. "I think we should do it. I think we should get married and become a family with our son!"

Brooke squealed and threw her arms around Lucas' neck. "I love you so much!" She kissed him over and over again before jumping out of his lap. "I can't wait to tell Peyton. I have to tell her like right now."

[**Peyton's House**]

"Knock, knock P. Sawyer." Brooke walked into her best friend's dark bedroom and flipped on the lights. "I hope you are decent!"

Peyton squinted her eyes as the bright light of her bedroom hit them. "Thanks for that Brooke." She said sarcastically with a fake smile plastered onto her face.

"Why do you like to sit in the dark all the time? That does nothing but attract depression and negative thoughts. It's no wonder all your drawings are so dark and sad." Brooke pulled opened Peyton's heavy curtains so the sun could shine through her dusty windows.

"Why are you so chipper today? Did you and Lucas finally make up?" Peyton put down her drawing pad and turned around in her computer chair to face Brooke who had made herself comfortable on her bed after slipping out of her coat.

Brooke bit down on her bottom lip. "Brace yourself, P. Sawyer." She took a deep breath before continuing. "Lucas and I are getting married! And it is all happening in just a few days." She held up her hand where Keith's old engagement ring for Karen sat on her finger.

Peyton almost fell from her computer chair. "You and Lucas are what?" She got up from the chair to get a better look at the ring that was sitting perfectly on Brooke's ring finger. "This is fake!" She tapped the ring with her index finger. "It has to be. This has to be a prank!"

Brooke smacked her full lips together and rolled her eyes. "I asked Lucas to marry me after I moved into his bedroom with Karen's permission, of course."

Once again Peyton was shocked. "You asked him? Brooke Davis asked Lucas Scott to marry her?" She laughed in disbelief. "The same Brooke Davis who would die before she would ever asked a guy out on a date?"

"But I'm not the same Brooke Davis." Brooke looked down at her engagement ring. "That girl ran away the moment that pregnancy test came back positive." She shrugged her shoulders. "And I love him so getting married is just…"

A knock on the door of Peyton's bedroom door made both girls flinch. Nathan stood in the doorway of Peyton's bedroom with a box of Brooke's things in his free hand but his smile soon turned into an angry glare when he caught sight of Brooke's engagement ring.

A lump began to form in Nathan's throat as his eyes burned with anger at the sight of Brooke's ring.

"Nathan…" Brooke hid her hand behind her back to force him to look her in her eyes rather than at her finger. "What are you doing here?"

"This is why people should learn how to knock or at least ring the doorbell." Peyton mumbled under her breath but Brooke nudged her in her side to make her quiet down. "I gotta start locking my front door." She mumbled to herself.

Nathan cleared his throat before answering Brooke. "You left a few things at my place and I figured that you had moved in here with Peyton so I came here to bring you your stuff." His eyes remained on the spot were Brooke hand had been.

Brooke noticed that his eyes hadn't moved. "Nathan…" She began to slide off of the bed but he just pushed her box of things into her arms to stop her from getting off the bed.

"I better get going." Nathan turned and left Peyton's bedroom in a hurry.

"Nathan!" Brooke sat her box aside and got off the bed to follow him out of the door. She managed to stop him from getting into his car by grabbing his hand. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" She pleaded with him.

Nathan snapped around to face her. "Please tell me that you aren't going to marry him. Please tell me that you won a replica of Keith's ring from a gumball machine and I walked in on your pranking Peyton."

Brooke looked down at the brown wedges she was wearing on her feet. "I asked Lucas to marry me." She mumbled underneath her breathe. "We are getting married because we want to be a family with James." She looked up at him with big puppy eyes.

"You don't have to get married to be a family!" Nathan yelled at her. "For goodness' sake, Brooke, you are sixteen years old."

Brooke rolled her eyes and corrected him. "I'm seventeen years old."

"Why are you really doing this?" Nathan lowered his voice from yelling. "Why Lucas? Why him and why now?"

Brooke's hands began to cradle her round stomach. "Because Lucas is the father of my child…"

Nathan held up in index finger to stop her from talking any further and shook his head. "That is not the answer I am looking for! You know damn well that I love you despite the fact that the baby in your stomach right now is not mine. And I think you know that I wish that it were."

His words made her flinch.

"So I'm going to ask you again." Nathan said calmly. "Why Lucas and why now? Why are you in such a hurry to get married to him all of a sudden?"

Brooke dropped her hands from her stomach to her side and they formed into angry fists. "I am pregnant, Nathan Scott, and that doesn't make me exactly a normal teenager anymore. I might be seventeen years old but I feel more like I'm in my twenties, and people in their twenties get married and start families."

"But you're still not answering my question." He took a step forward so they were standing close together. "Why are you marrying Lucas instead of giving me and you another chance?"

Brooke bit down on her bottom lip and dropped her head as tears began to well up in her eyes. "Because you have Haley, who I have come to love so very much." She finally looked up as tears began to stream down her red cheeks. "And because no matter how much I love you, I love Lucas that much more."

Nathan closed his eyes and shook his head as her words stung him in the heart. "Well congratulations on becoming a bride and teen mom all in the same year." Before he even finished his sentence he regretted saying it.

Brooke reached up and slapped him across his face. "How could you be so mean to me? Me! Me who you used to call your soul mate and princess." She turned and raced back inside Peyton's house.

Nathan watched Brooke run away from him but his vision was blurred by the tears building up in his eyes. He knew he was losing her again, but he felt like he'd given it all he had. She wanted to marry Lucas and be a family with him.

He spun around on the heel of his tennis shoes and punched the window of his black Mustang. The window shattered underneath his fist and glassed spilled out at his feet. He had a moment of peace and clarity as he watched the glass fall. It resembled his life but he now knew what he would do to fix it.

"Nathan!" Peyton called out to the jock as she came running from her house.

Nathan snapped out of staring at the broken pieces of glass.

"You need to fix this and you need to do it as soon as possible." Peyton slapped him in his chest. "You have her upstairs crying and I know why she is crying. She is up there doubting her decision to marry Lucas." She let out a heavy sigh.

Nathan blinked widely. "What am I supposed to do about that? She now knows that marrying Lucas is the dumbest idea she has ever had."

Peyton rolled her hazel colored eyes and stepped closer to him. She pointed her index finger in his face to make sure that he was catching her point. "Whether she marries you or Lucas, I just want my best friend to be happy and right now she is the farthest thing from that and it is all because you showed up and put doubts in her mind." She pushed him backwards. "I will never understand how you hold so much power over her."

Nathan smirked as he watched Peyton's face light up.

"You hold so much power over her because she still loves you." Peyton gasped as it all started to come together in her head. "She loves you now more than she has ever loved you before and she doesn't even know how that is possible which is why she is having doubts about marrying Lucas."

Nathan crossed his arms over his chest. "That is why I have never given up my fight for Brooke because what we have is natural and destined to happen whether or not that child is mine."

Peyton began to nod her head slowly. "But none of this makes sense because you like Haley."

"I like Haley and I don't ever want to hurt her fragile heart, but I love Brooke more than anything in this world." Nathan confessed to Peyton, neither of them aware that Brooke was listening from behind the front door. "I wanted this child to be mine so I reacted badly when it turned out to be Lucas' because I knew she would want to be a family with whoever the father is."

"Hence the reason why she is about to marry Lucas in a few days." Peyton spoke slowly.

Brooke silently gasped as Peyton and Nathan tried to figure out why she wanted to marry Lucas so quickly and suddenly. The things they were saying hadn't even occurred to her when he decided to ask Lucas to marry her. _"But are they right?" _Brooke's heart began to race as everything they were saying ran through her mind. Some of it was true but some of it simply wasn't.

"So what are you going to do if she marries Lucas?" Peyton asked Nathan.

This snapped Brooke out of her own thoughts and she began to listen in on Peyton and Nathan's conversation again.

"I'm gonna to stop her from making the worst decision of her life." Nathan answered confidently. "I know that girl still loves me but at the moment she is being blinded by the dream of having a family for when James arrives in the world."

Peyton's hands flew into the air as she began to slowly back away from Nathan. "I'm not getting involved in your plan to stop Lucas and Brooke from getting married." She smirked and winked at Nathan. "Go get em'!" She mouthed to him.

Nathan frowned in confusion but laughed when he saw Peyton wink at him. "Please don't tell her what I plan on doing."

Peyton remained silent but nodded to his request.

Brooke's heart was pounding after what she had just heard coming from Nathan's mouth. "Would he really mess up this moment for me?" She raced toward Peyton's staircase but she suddenly slipped and fell as she tried to go up the stairs.

Peyton heard the loud bump and raced inside of her home to see what had happened. She found Brooke lying face down on the bottom of her stairs. Her eyes widened and she switched into panic mode. "Brooke!" Peyton screamed, thinking Brooke had fallen down the entire flight of stairs. "Brooke, please wake up." She turned her over and felt her stomach. "Jamie it is going to be okay. Mama didn't mean to fall." Peyton whispered to the unborn child growing inside of Brooke's stomach. "Brooke!"


	25. Chapter 25

Lucas paced back and forth but he knew he feet were already tired from his constant movement along the floor of the hospital hallway. He'd gotten a call from a screaming Peyton informing him of Brooke's fall from atop of her staircase. He rushed to the hospital with his mother and found Peyton and Nathan already waiting in the waiting room.

Brooke had yet to wake up from her fall and the doctor's determined that she had a concussion from the fall. They were now checking on the baby and trying to find a heartbeat, so far no luck.

"How much longer is this going to take?" Nathan mumbled under his breath.

The sound of Nathan's voice broke Lucas out of his dazed pace. "What were you doing there again?" Lucas asked. He didn't feel convinced by Nathan's original answer.

Nathan had been pulling away from Peyton house when a distraught Peyton came running from the house. He placed Brooke into his back seat and drove both her and Peyton to the hospital, but he told Lucas that he'd only been there dropping off Brooke's things when he heard Peyton scream for him. Peyton covered for him and backed up his story in fear that the truth would start a fight between the two brothers.

"Like I said the first time…" Nathan's hands began to ball up into fists but a simple touch of his arm from Peyton instantly calmed him down. "Brooke left a few things at my house and I thought she moved in with Peyton so I stopped by Peyton's house on my way home from the gym to drop them off to her when I heard Peyton scream that Brooke had fallen down the stairs."

Lucas furrowed his brows as he thought over Nathan's response to his question. He decided that he would drop it, for now at least. "I just hope my son is alright." He began to pace the floor again.

"I think we're all thinking that and then some." Peyton said. "But can you please sit down? You're making me motion sick with all of that pacing back and forth."

Lucas let out a heavy sigh as he plopped down into the seat next to Peyton. "I just wish they would keep us informed on what is happening with my fiancée and unborn son."

Nathan shuttered at the sound of Lucas calling Brooke his fiancée, but his worry for Brooke and James were keeping him quiet.

"Nathan?" Haley raced off of the elevator and into the waiting room where she wrapped her arms around Nathan's neck.

Nathan caught Haley in his arms as she entered the room. "I'm so glad you are here." Nathan knew Haley was sound and stable emotionally, and she was also a great shoulder for him to cry on whenever he needed her.

"Lucas!" Haley released her hold on Nathan's neck and pulled Lucas into a tight hug. "How is Brooke and the baby?"

Lucas took a deep breath, but couldn't help but feel slightly calmer with Haley's presence. "We don't know anything yet but Brooke hasn't woken up since the fall back at Peyton's house and they are trying to figure out if James will survive the fall."

Haley began to nod her head slowly as she absorbed all the information about Brooke's accident. "How did all of this happen anyway?" She looked around the group of friends.

Peyton stood up from her position in one of the waiting room chairs. "No one knows for sure but after I came back inside from sending Nathan off I heard a loud crash and then found Brooke lying at the bottom of my staircase."

"So she fell down the entire staircase?" Haley questioned. Something about the story wasn't adding up for her.

Both Peyton and Nathan shrugged in unison, but before anyone else could speak any further Karen came running toward the group of high school friends. She'd been allowed to go in the room during Brooke's ultrasound.

"Lucas!" Karen called out to her son. "Brooke is awake and they just found a heartbeat on the ultrasound."

Lucas didn't take a second to think before he started running toward Brooke's hospital room. Nathan, Haley, and Peyton ran after him.

Lucas fell to his knees at Brooke's bed side after she smiled at him for the first time since her accident. Tears began to stream down his red cheeks as he took her hand into his own and planted a gentle kiss on it. "I'm so happy you are alright."

"Well so is Jamie, look Luke!" Brooke nodded toward the monitor of the ultrasound. "And he is kicking his mama like crazy." Her smile was weak but wide.

Lucas pulled himself up off of the floor of her hospital room so he could get a look at the ultrasound of Brooke's round stomach. "Is he going to be alright?" He asked the doctor.

The doctor nodded reassuringly. "You have one strong son, but Miss Davis broke the fall with her hands so she didn't land completely on her stomach.

Brooke smiled proudly, but kept her eyes on the screen of the ultrasound monitor. "All I was thinking about when I was falling was hurting James and ways I could protect him before I actually fell."

"And in doing that she landed on her head rather than her stomach." The doctor sounded amazed. "She shifted herself mid-fall to protect your son."

Lucas looked down at Brooke lovingly. "I'm pretty proud of you, Brooke Davis. You survived falling down a flight of wooden stairs and shifted your body to protect our unborn child."

Brooke frowned in confusion. "I didn't fall down the stairs! I fell going up the stairs and then fell back down the one or two steps I'd managed to make it up before I slipped on my heels."

A unison sigh of relief was heard around the room.

"B. Davis, you had us all worried about you and my nephew." Peyton rushed over to Brooke's bedside.

Brooke laughed and wiggled her toes. "I guess no more heels for me, huh?"

Everyone laughed together at her.

"No more heels!" Karen pointed her index finger at Brooke. "Not even for your wedding to my son."

Lucas and Brooke both looked up at each other, because neither told her about their engagement yet.

"I saw Keith's ring on your finger." Karen nodded toward Brooke's petite fingers. "I gave that ring to you, Lucas to give to the woman you wanted to marry. Is that woman Brooke?"

Lucas linked fingers with Brooke but kept his eyes on his mother. "She is the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with."

"Brooke?" Karen turned her attention on the pregnant teen.

Brooke smiled and nodded her head once. "I am crazy about your son Ms. Scott and I want to spend the rest of my life with him." She took a deep breath before continuing. "After my scary fall, everything just suddenly became clear to me and I'm so sure of my decision to marry Lucas."

Karen reached into her purse and grabbed out a brown envelope. "This was in your stuff and I found it while Lucas and I were moving you into his bedroom."

Inside of the brown paper envelope were the papers needed for Brooke to become emancipated from her neglecting parents. She'd never gotten the chance to present them with the papers before they kicked her out of their home for being pregnant.

"I went over to their home and caught them leaving for another vacation." Karen explained as she handed over the document to Brooke. "And I convinced them to sign it for you before they left Tree Hill for god knows how long."

Tears began to sting the back of Brooke's eyes. "You did that for me?" She fanned her eyes with the envelope.

Karen smiled down at Brooke. "Well I figured it was the only thing tying you to them and it was obvious that you were no longer a part of that family, so this is your welcome to the Scott family."

Nathan kept his composure as he listened to everything, but inside he felt himself crumbling. Brooke had made her final decision, and that was to be with Lucas. He felt like there was nothing he could do to get her to change her mind.

Haley knew this had to be bothering Nathan so she reached over and grabbed his hand. "I'm sorry." She mouthed to him when their eyes connected.

A soft smile stretched across his face and he pulled Haley closer to his side. It was as if he suddenly realized that he had a dream of a girlfriend in Haley, but he'd been neglecting her due to his feelings for Brooke. It appeared that Haley was willing to work past all of that.

"Are we ready for this?" Peyton stood up from her position on the carpeted floor. She dusted off her knees and fixed one of her loose blonde curls.

Brooke rubbed her round stomach. "I've been so ready for this."

She was now nine months pregnant and getting married in a church to Lucas Scott. Four months had passed since her brutal fall going up Peyton's stairs and so much had changed.

Brooke and Karen grew close as Brooke helped Karen around the small two bedroom house while Lucas worked at the café alongside his best friend, Haley James, to save up for the couple's first apartment.

Karen and Keith had made plans to try to have a child so they'd gone off and frozen an embryo to save for the right moment. Karen felt like it was time so she went ahead with implanting the embryo and was now pregnant.

Haley and Nathan were working on their relationship, and spent every waking moment together.

Peyton had moved down to Savannah to live with Jake and his daughter Jenny, but had come back to Tree Hill to see her father off before he went off to sea once again and so she could be present for Brooke and Lucas' wedding day. She was crossing her fingers and hoping that Brooke would go into labor while she was still in town.

"Lucas is now in position with Nathan." Haley reported back to Brooke after checking on the process of the wedding ceremony.

Nathan had given Brooke his blessing to marry his brother after the two had a heart to heart conversation that lasted them all night. Both got closure on unresolved issues and feelings that were lingering between the two of them that in the past usually kept them going back to one another.

Nathan and Brooke both knew that they'd love each other forever, but they now realized that they were not meant to be together forever. They were too toxic and unstable together, and that is not something James needed to put in the middle of.

With closure of that relationship came the start of a healthy relationship between Nathan and Lucas. The two brothers grew close over their love for basketball and Brooke.

"My girls look amazing." Brooke smiled and reached her hands out to both Peyton and Haley.

With Haley's help, Peyton pulled Brooke out of her chair.

"The bride looks just as amazing and stunning." Peyton said with a bright smile.

Brooke shook her head and index finger. "Even though I am nine months pregnant I still am the best looking girl in the entire church building."

The girls all laughed together.

"Brooke! You're up." Karen poked her head around the corner of the door leading to Brooke's bridal suite. "You look so beautiful."

Peyton and Haley gathered up their flowers before darting out of the bridal suite and toward the chapel where Lucas was waiting to marry Brooke.

"I'm so proud of you and Lucas." Karen linked arms with Brooke and began to lead her toward the chapel doors.

"For what?" Brooke looked over at Karen.

Karen gave her shoulders a light shrug. "For proving everyone wrong and me right. I knew you two could be great at this whole married teenage parents' thing, and you've both done nothing but prove me right these last few months."

"You're gonna make me cry, Karen!" Brooke playfully pouted her full lips as she fanned her eyes.

Karen stopped walking and turned to face Brooke once they reached the doors of the chapel. "I get to officially welcome you to my family and I couldn't have chosen a better person to be with my son."

Brooke hugged Karen as tightly as she could. "I love you and Lucas so much and I am so thankful that you have been so welcoming of me and James to your growing family." She gently touched Karen's stomach.

"Now I'm gonna cry." Karen laughed and took a deep breath before offering Brooke her arm again. "Let's go get you married."

Brooke linked arms with Karen and the two women made their way down the aisle toward Lucas and the wedding party that included Peyton as the maid of honor with Haley as a bridesmaids and Nathan as the best man with Skillz as a groomsman.

Karen kissed the cheeks of both Lucas and Brooke before she took her seat in the first row of seats. There weren't very many people attending Brooke and Lucas' wedding besides the cheerleading and basketball teams.

"Dearly beloved, we have gathered here today to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony." The ordained minster started the ceremony.

Lucas winked over at his pregnant bride and mouthed the words. "I love you."

"I love you too." Brooke mouthed back to him.

"They, Lucas and Brooke, claim their love to the world with their own vows to one another." The minster nodded for Lucas to start his vows.

Lucas took a deep breath before he began to vow his love for his soon to be wife. "Brooke Penelope Davis! I have loved you from the first moment our eyes locked. No woman has been able to catch and hold my attention the way you have." He gave her hands a tight squeeze. "Most people in our world tell us that we are complete opposites but I love that about our relationship. I also love the way you kink your eyebrow when you're trying to be cute and the way you quote Kim-yo even though I've never seen you read it." Lucas chuckled. "I could go on all night telling you all the things I love about you but now I have the rest of my life to do so."

Brooke began to tear up as she listened to Lucas' wedding vows. "Lucas Eugene Scott!" She laughed enough though her tears were beginning to show in her chocolate brown eyes. "I love you so much and when we met I felt like it was too good to be true. I couldn't believe this amazing guy wanted to be with me!" She began to rub his palms with her thumb. "But you've helped me become a better woman. Before I met you my life was all about me, me, and me."

Everyone in the church laughed.

"But now that I'm standing here at nine months pregnant, I can truly and happily say that for the rest of my life my world will revolve around me, you, and our beautiful son." Brooke smiled. "I can't wait to start the rest of our lives together."

The minster waited a few seconds before he continued the ceremony. "Lucas and Brooke, today you have come here to exchange those vows." He turns to Lucas. "Lucas? Do you take Brooke to be thy wedded wife to have and to hold from this day forward? For better or for worse? For richer or for poorer? In sickness and in health? As long as you both shall live?"

Lucas looked from the minster and back to Brooke. "I do."

"Brooke? Do you take Lucas to be thy wedded husband to have and to hold from this day forward? For better or for worse? For richer or for poorer? In sickness and in health? As long as you both shall live?" The minster asked her.

With a big smile upon her face and no hesitation, Brooke replied. "I do!"

The minster turned to the wedding party. "The rings please."

Brooke and Lucas both slightly turned their bodies to receive the wedding bands they picked out for one another from their maid of honor and best man.

Peyton handed Brooke Lucas' wedding band while Nathan handed Lucas Brooke's wedding band.

"Brooke." Lucas placed the ring halfway up her thin finger. "This ring symbolizes my never dying love for you and my desire to spend the rest of my life by your side as your husband from this day forward." He slid the ring completely onto her ring finger.

Brooke smiled and dropped her hold of his glance to get the first look at her wedding band. She smiled again and looked up at him to give him his ring. "Lucas Scott." She began to place the ring on his finger. "This ring is a symbol of my desire for you to be my husband and me to be your wife. It also shows how I feel inside, and that is that our love will never end but it will get stronger." She slid the ring onto his finger.

"Before I announce this newlywed couple to the world for the first time I must ask if anyone objects to this union?" The minster looked around the small church, but no one said anything so he continued. "I am proud to pronounce Lucas and Brooke Scott, husband and wife." The minster announced. "Lucas, you may now kiss your bride."

Lucas' smile grew as he pulled Brooke closer to him before taking her face gently into his hands. He planted a passionate and solid kiss upon her lips. "I love you so much."

Brooke giggled and kissed him once more. "I love you too, Husband."

They linked their fingers once again before turning toward their wedding guests and walking out of the chapel. Outside of the doors to the chapel they signed their marriage license. Afterwards they headed outside to the red, vintage Mustang awaiting their arrival.

Brooke gasped after she climbed into the passenger seat.

"What?" Lucas got into the driver seat.

Brooke bit down on her bottom lip. "Don't be mad at me okay!"

Lucas laughed. "You're my new wife! What am I going to be mad about on a day like this?"

"You might get mad after I tell you that my water just broke on the passenger seat of Keith's vintage Mustang." Brooke rubbed her round stomach. "I am going into labor on my wedding day. Who does that?"


	26. Chapter 26

"Brooke, you can do this!" Lucas said reassuringly with a single nod of his head as he held tightly onto Brooke's petite hand. "Just like we've been practicing at home and in those classes." He reminded her.

Brooke began to nod her head slowly at the sound of her husband's soothing voice. Her chocolate brown eyes remained shut as she took another deep breath before she began to start pushing again at the start of the doctor's countdown.

"5-4-3-2-1" The doctor counted down her pushes for her. "And now breathe!" He instructed the first time mother.

She'd been rushed to the hospital shortly after her wedding ceremony to Lucas Scott. They immediately sent her to labor and delivery. There was no time for Brooke to get an epidural because she had been six centimeters when she arrived and growing closer and closer to ten centimeters. She was originally scheduled for a C- section due to her unborn son being breech, but suddenly he'd managed to flip himself around just in time for Brooke to start pushing.

She had been pushing for over an hour with Lucas by her side coaching her and Karen filming the entire thing from the corner of the delivery room. But she was finally in the home stretch and she was only a few pushes away from meeting her son.

"It's a boy." The doctor checked James before carefully placing him on a towel that was spread across Brooke's bosom.

Brooke's eyes popped open and instantly tears began to spill from them. She looked up at Lucas and planted a kiss on his lips as they cleaned James off on her chest.

"You did it!" Lucas said proudly to his new wife and mother of his first child. "He is beautiful just like his mother."

Brooke peeled her eyes off of the red face of her crying newborn son and focused them back on Lucas. "We did it and together we can anything." She blew a kiss into the air and held onto James as they prepared to cut off his cord.

Lucas nervously took the pair of scissors from the doctor's hands. He felt a sense of relief when he cut the most of cord from his son's belly button especially when he didn't mess it up.

James Lucas Scott was removed from Brooke's arms so they could finish cleaning him as well as weigh and measure him. The nurses placed a small blue and white cotton hat upon his head where a few dark strands of hair sat.

Brooke and Lucas were subjected to lessons on how to change a diaper as well as how to feed and burp a baby. After this they were allowed to have visitors.

Peyton was the first to rush into the large hospital room. "Oh Brooke!" She stood at Brooke's bedside and smiled down at both Brooke and James. "I was so hoping this was going to happen while I was still in town for the wedding." She laughed quietly as James began to fall asleep. "I couldn't have written it better myself."

"Well that's why I am the writer and you're the artist. Stick to the covers of books." Lucas walked back into the room carrying two duffle bags. They were meant for his and Brooke's baby moon but obviously they had their son before they could have one last night together.

"Oh hush!" Peyton smiled brightly and carefully took James from Brooke's arms. "This is going to make one hell of a story someday." She whispered as she slowly rocked the sleeping baby side to side.

"You're really good with babies." Brooke noted.

Peyton's hazel eyes remained glued onto the face of the sleeping newborn. "Well I'm a stepmom to a two year old so I've have my fair share of practice."

Brooke smiled. "How are Jake and Jenny anyway? I still can't believe you two got married before me and Lucas. In fact, I still can't believe that any of us are married so young."

Peyton couldn't help but laugh at this. "They are doing amazing! Nicki is getting better at dealing with her addiction so she allowed to see Jenny but only if Jake parents' are there to watch her. She and Jake aren't allowed to be around each other and Jenny at the same time since they have a history of fighting."

"I remember that crazy bitch." Brooke rolled her eyes. "Jenny got lucky with getting you as her step mother. That baby girl needs you in her life."

Peyton carefully placed James into his glass nursery so he could sleep peacefully, and she turned back to Brooke. "Is this how you saw our lives turning out?"

The door swung open and Haley and Nathan walked in together.

"This is not how I saw things turning out." Haley smiled and walked over to Brooke, planting a gentle kiss on her warm forehead before wrapping her arms around her and giving her a tight squeeze. "Brooke is not the one that I thought would end up pregnant and married before our senior year."

Brooke's mouth suddenly dropped open and her eyes widened as her palms slapped her cheeks and stayed there. "I can't imagine going through senior year with a baby!"

"You kind of should have thought of that first." Haley said with a laugh. "It's kind of too late to go back now!"

Nathan slid into a small space on Brooke's hospital bed and he pulled her into his side. "You'll do great, Brooke Davis. Plus you'll always have all of us there for you when things get tough."

"I for one am excited to babysit my little nephew." Haley turned to Lucas and hugged him. "Congratulations best friend."

Lucas embraced Haley's warm hug with his blue eyes closed. "Thank you, Hales. But no more marriages or babies anytime soon! At least until we all graduate from high school."

[**Graduation Day**]

"Brooke, hurry up before we miss the entire ceremony." Lucas called out to his wife. "Your mother is always late!" He turned and tickled his now one year old son in his round stomach.

James giggled at the tickling action of his father.

"Brooke!" Lucas called out to her again.

Brooke rushed from their bedroom with her blue graduation grown draped over her arm and her hat sitting perfectly atop of her straight chocolate brown hair. "How do I look?" She twirled around on her four inch heels.

"Great!" James spoke up from his spot on the leather couch.

"Really?" Brooke squealed and raced over to her young son. She scooped him up into her arms and twirled around with him held close to her chest. "Well thank you handsome."

James wore a black and white suit on his short frame.

"Let's go!" James jumped out of his mother's arms and darted out of the front door.

"Jamie Lucas Scott…" Lucas ran after his son and Brooke ran after him, but they were all stopped in their tracks.

Standing outside of Lucas' and Brooke's small home was Dan Scott. Shortly after giving birth to James, Brooke found out that Dan had been accused of killing Lucas' Uncle Keith, Dan's older brother. Dan never confessed to the accusation, prompting an investigation that was still on going. Lucas was convinced the older man murdered Keith and so was Karen, so she left town to have her baby in a safe place away from Dan Scott.

"What are you doing here?" Lucas protectively pushed his son behind him and toward his teenage wife.

Dan's large hands flew up in front of him, "I just came to congratulate you and your wife on your big day. And maybe…"

"You will never be a part of my son's life." Lucas kept his voice calm in front of James.

Brooke realized that this wasn't something that James needed to witness happening between his father and grandfather so she kneeled down in front of the toddler. "How about we go get in the car and wait for daddy in there? I'll even race you there?"

"Game on!" James said in his high pitched voice before he took off running toward his parents' auburn colored vintage Mustang.

Dan recognized the old car as his brother's. "It's nice to see that you kept Keith's car after his tragic death." He said with a smirk written on his lips.

Lucas' fists balled up at his sides as he fought back the urge to punch his biological father square in his face. "He was my father so why wouldn't I keep it after you killed him?"

"There you go again with the accusations." Dan took a step closer to Lucas, but heard Brooke gasped.

Both Lucas and Dan took their eyes off of one another and placed them onto the brunette eighteen year old. Brooke was standing outside of the auburn Mustang after putting James into his car seat in the back. She closed the door to stop the child from hearing any of the conversation going on between Dan and Lucas.

"Get in the car, Brooke." Lucas ordered.

Brooke shook her head and swallowed hard, remembering the day of the school shooting that took Keith away from them. "I'm not leaving you out here with him. Standing here gives me a better chance at beating his a-s-s…" She looked back into the car and saw that James was distracting himself with his portable DVD player. "I can jump in and beat his ass if he pulls out a gun."

"You are aware that I can hear you too, right?" Dan cocked his large head to the side as his smirk grew larger.

Brooke rolled her eyes and brushed her brown locks off of her shoulder before she crossed her arms over her chest. "Continue on with you conversation but make it quick so we don't miss our own graduation." She snapped her fingers at Dan. "Aren't the police gonna be looking for you any minute now anyways?" She mocked his evil smirk.

Dan laughed in disbelief at the girl's rude remarks to him. "At least you found someone who is protective of you and your son."

Lucas sighed and turned back to his father. "You need to get out of here before I call the cops for trespassing on private property! And while I'm at it how about I remind both them and you of the restraining order I have out on against you for both my wife and son." Lucas took a step toward Dan and pushed him backwards. "This is me being protective of them now go!"

Dan's large hands flew up in the air once again, but this time he was surrendering to his strong willed son. "It's nice to know that my sons have grown up to be strong young men unlike their father."

"You got one thing right." Lucas chuckled and scratched the back of his sandy blonde hair. "Nathan and I are strong unlike you, but Keith was my father not you. Last time I checked you avoided me for sixteen years." He turned away from the older male and walked over to Brooke.

"You ready to go?" Brooke smiled proudly up at him.

Lucas remained silent but gave his head a nod. He proceeded to open the passenger door for Brooke before he took his place in the driver's seat. He resisted the urge to run over Dan as he passed him walking in the street.

[**The Ceremony**]

"Brooke! Lucas! Where on Earth have you two been?" Peyton let out a sigh of relief as she looked up from her cellphone to find Brooke and Lucas parking in the parking spot next to her husband's beat up truck.

"Long story but I'll tell you all about it after the ceremony." Brooke helped her son out of the back seat of the car. She kneeled down in front of the blond haired little boy and fixed his suit jacket. "You be good for your Aunt Peyton and Uncle Jake while momma and daddy go finish their last time ever as high school students, okay?"

James smiled big up at his mother and wrapped his arms around her neck. "You got this, momma!"

Brooke planted a gentle kiss upon his soft round cheeks before allowing him to say goodbye to his father.

"Bye buddy." Lucas swooped down and picked up James in his muscular arms. "You gonna cheer us on loud and proud when we walk across the stage?"

James nodded his head fast before he could answer his father's question. "You betcha."

Brooke and Lucas began to walk hand in hand toward the back of the large stadium where their graduation was due to be held in. Peyton and Jake were going to babysit James through the ceremony. Peyton had already gotten her diploma the week before, but Jake settled for a GED so he could continue working to support his new family. Jenny was back at home in Savannah with Jake's parents because Nikki was getting her first weekend visit with her daughter since leaving rehab.

"Hey!" Brooke placed her hands on the hips of Haley James, who was still Nathan's proud girlfriend and now Brooke's best friend.

Haley squealed due to the fright Brooke's touch gave her. When she noticed that it was Brooke she squealed again, but this time out of happiness. "Hey! Where have you been?"

Brooke rolled her eyes and casually waved her hand in the air. "Dan showed up to wish us a happy graduation day, but I threatened to beat his ass so he ran away like a little girl." She laughed.

"Oh now some things never change about Brooke Davis." Nathan boosted about his close friend. "She may be a mother and a wife, but she is still the same old feisty Brooke Davis." He opened his long arms wide for Brooke to jump into a hug like she always did.

Brooke jumped into the air and Nathan caught her, and he held her in a hug. "I'm proud of you, Nathan Scott!"

"For what?" Nathan sat Brooke back down on her two feet.

Brooke placed her hands on her hips and she tilted her head to the side. "For making it to this big day." She nudged him in his side with her elbow. "Freshman year I was sure you would drop out by junior year and run away from home only to come back years later with a beard and a drinking problem."

Nathan couldn't help but laugh at this. "Well I'm proud of you too, Brooke Davis!"

"And why is that?" Brooke pretended to need to hear better so she leaned closer and cupped her ear with her petite hand. "Other than the fact that I managed to keep a B plus average while still being a kick ass mom and wife to both of my favorite boys?"

"For all of that and for making it to this day." Nathan playfully pushed Brooke, but her stance didn't budge due to the lack of power behind his push. "I remember you being a totally different person at the start of our freshman year."

Lucas draped his arm around Brooke's shoulders. "I may have something to do with that."

Brooke smiled and wrapped both of her arms around Lucas' waist. "You have everything to do with that! You tutored me when Tutor Girl was too busy making kissy faces at Nathan…" She threw a wink at Haley. "And you took care of our beautiful son while I did my homework, and all together you've been an amazing husband and I can do nothing but thank you for that."

Lucas couldn't help but get teary eyed at his wife's moment of affection. He opened his mouth to say something but only got a crock to come past the lump in his throat.

"Oh goodness." Nathan playfully teased his older brother and gave him a slap on his shoulder.

A whistle was blown and Whitey Durham stepped out of the shadows. "The ceremony is about to start so take your places in alphabetical order, like you did yesterday in practice and stop all the chit chatting." He pointed his index finger at the gang of friends: Lucas, Nathan, Haley, and Brooke, before he gave them a proud smile. "Let's do this!"

The ceremony started with the graduation march. Haley led the march since she was sitting on the stage. Brooke walked ahead of her husband and brother in law, and when they took their seats she waved to her happy son, who was sitting in Peyton's lap.

"Last time in high school, and there is no looking back." Lucas leaned over and whispered to Brooke as the principal made his speech.

Brooke looked into Lucas' round blue eyes and smiled. "I'm looking straight ahead at my future with you."

Nathan playfully made a gaging sound as Brooke and Lucas once again became gushy with one another. "Can we focus? They're about to start calling names."

Brooke excitedly gave Lucas' hand a tight squeeze, but she reached across Lucas and held out her hand to Nathan. "I'm proud of you!" She gave him a wink and a squeeze of the hand.

They all cheered on loudly as Haley walked across the stage and accepted her diploma. And now it was their turn.

"Brooke Scott." Principal Turner continued to read out the names from his list.

Brooke bounced up the three stairs that led to the wooden stage and proudly accepted her diploma with a hand shake from Turner. Everyone she shook hands with reminded her how proud they were of her turning her life around. Brooke waited at the end of the stage for her husband.

"Lucas Scott." Principal Turner called out.

Lucas graced the stage with his graceful presence and he accepted the well wishes as well as his diploma. "No looking back, right?" He grabbed Brooke by the waist and planted a soft kiss on her cheeks as they posed for a picture together.

"Nathan Scott." Principal Turner called out.

Nathan proudly took the stage and waved his diploma in the air once he received it. He pointed at his girlfriend and gave her a wink and an air blown kiss. "I love you, Hales." He called out even though she was seated directly behind him on the stage.

The gang took their seats and anxiously awaited the last speech of the night, Haley's Victorian speech.

Haley took to the wooden podium to top off the ceremony. "Distinguished guests, parents, and this year's graduating class; my best friend, Lucas Scott, reminded me of a quote by William Shakespeare that is right for this moment in time." She waved at Lucas and stood up straight to deliver the well written quote. "There is a tide in the affairs of men. Which taken at the flood leads onto fortune omitted all the voyage of their lives is bound up in sorrows and miseries. On such a full sea are we now afloat, and we must take the current when it serves or lose our ventures." Haley smiled at the confused faces in the crowd. "I think what quote means is that life is short and opportunities are rare, and we have to protect them. But not only the opportunity to succeed, but the chance to laugh and to see the enchantment in the world, and to live. Because life doesn't owe us anything. In fact I think we owe something to the world, and if we can just believe then we can make this happen and have a happy ending to all of our stories." Haley leaned forward. "Thank you."

The crowd erupted into a loud cheer for the smart young girl as she finished her speech. It left everyone feeling nostalgic and excited for what the future will bring them. They were all directed in raising the tassels on their caps and turning them before throwing them up in the air.

Brooke held onto her hat for safe keeping but she also held onto Lucas.

He twirled her around and dipped her before pulling her back up to his chest and passionately kissing her. "I love you so much, Brooke Penelope Scott."

Brooke brushed her pink lips against his. "I love you too, Lucas Eugene Scott! This moment would be so much more perfect…"

"If Jamie were here in our arms, right?" Lucas finished his wife's sentence. "Then let's go get him."

The married teenagers locked hands and darted up the stairs leading to the seats of the stadium.

"Mama! Daddy!" Jamie jumped out of Peyton's lap and raced over to his parents.

Lucas scooped up his son into his arms and twirled around with both him and Brooke wrapped in his arms. Now this was the perfect ending to the perfect start of a new chapter, college.


End file.
